


New Tides

by TerraBrownWriter



Series: The Starfall AU [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Everyone tries to help but Logan and Virgil just need each other, F/M, Logan and Virgil don't know how to control their powers which causes problems, Logan and Virgil have a fight, Logan is just stress and worry about his fiancé getting hurt, M/M, Nemo from FamILY RP joins the battle lol, No matter the universe Nemo can't stop getting into abusive relationships, TW mentions of sexual abusive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-13 07:42:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 35
Words: 62,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20170651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraBrownWriter/pseuds/TerraBrownWriter
Summary: After the death of the Mayor of Leadership, work is made to help the Terrorlings rebuild their home planet. While that is happening Logan and Virgil take a trip to visit Patton and Roman to make sure they are ok when Virgil goes on a mission to take down an American space ship. He expected to find a ship, not a person.





	1. Chapter 1

Terra and Logan are lying on the couch Logan pets Terra's hair. Terra sighs and holds onto him. Logan kisses his head he turns on the TV. "After the death of the Mayor of Leadership, an investigation was put into place. Police found many files on the T.P.O. and where they are keeping and sold Terrorlings. New Captain, Captain Terrance, is at the front of the search and rescue of the Terrorlings. A new organization has been put in place run by Emile called Terrorling Equals Right, T.E.R., are doing fundraisers to help gather supplies for the search and rescue. In other news, Logan has been elected Mayor despite being in a coma for most of the race and elections are taking place for a new Mayor of Leadership. Now for the weather-" Logan mutes it. 

Terra smiles and relaxes.  **“Thank you Papa...”** he whispers and snuggles up to Logan.

Logan smiles, "Of course, that is what family is for." 

Terra hums.  **“How long till George is okay?”**

"I don't know, but if he is anything like his big brother, he will pull through." he pokes Terra's nose. 

Terra giggles.  **“Where’s Daddy?”**

"He's working. Keeping bad guys off the streets. Like a superhero." 

Terra giggles more.  **“My Daddy’s a superhero, and my Papa’s the mayor!”**

Logan chuckles "Yup, and we will always protect you." Terra smiles and closes his eyes. 

...

Virgil approaches Terrance. “Captain.”

"Officer." he smirks, "Any news or updates?"

“Clean up crews have finished, and we’ve started rebuilding the towns on Terror.”

"Excellent."

Virgil nods and looks out the window. “We’re near Earth.” He comments.

"You miss home?"

“Sometimes.” Virgil gazes at the blue, white, and green marble beside them a distance away. He turns to Terrance. “Be careful. They have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later.”

"Noted."

Virgil looks back at Earth for a moment before going back to Terrance. “How have you been? Like- after everything.”

Terrance shrugs "Just trying to move on." 

Virgil nods. “So... What’s it like being captain?” He offers a smirk.

Terrance laughs, "A lot more responsibility than I thought. After this, I get stuck in the office for the most part." he shakes his head.

Virgil chuckles. “Aww. So sad. What? They can’t afford a secretary for you?”

Terrance laughs, "Na, it's fine. I think I could use that type of break." 

Virgil smiles sadly and looks down, leaning against a desk. “Sir? There’s something you should see.” An officer’s voice comes over the intercom.

"What is it?"

Virgil looks out the window and pales. “Uhh... Terrance?” Terrance looks out the window. Coming out of Earth’s atmosphere is what looks to be a ship. It travels further than the satellite orbit and slowly makes it’s way past the moon. “I thought it would be years before this...”

"What is it?"

“A ship, but we used to not be able to figure out how to make a power source that would get it through space and back.” The ship crawls ever slowly towards them. Virgil gets on the radio. “All units. Do NOT fire! I repeat, do NOT fire!” Virgil looks back at the ship with interest and fear.  _ ‘Do we make contact or run? Contact or run?’ _

"How friendly are your people?"

“It depends on which ones and what they want. The first contact is usually in the name of science. Then the greedy ones come.” Virgil turns to Terrance. “We should go. Now.”

"All units fall back and do not let that craft see us."

“They already have.” Virgil mumbles. The fleet turns and speeds away. The Terrian ship tries to follow but is too slow. 

“NASA Crew to unknown objects. NASA Crew to unknown objects. Do you understand us?” A broadcast comes through the radio.

“Don’t answer!” Virgil orders.

Terrance mutes the radio. "Get us out of here." The engines go to full speed, and they leave the Terrian ship’s range. Virgil looks back, almost longingly, yet weary. Terrance sighs 

Virgil looks back at him. “Sorry... If I knew-“

"You didn't." 

Virgil sits down. “Earth isn’t ready... we’re not ready for space...”

"Yeah, and we are not ready for war if it comes to that." 

“If our leaders are wise, hopefully, should we make contact it’s diplomatic.” Virgil frowns. He’s not sure who he speaks for when he says ‘we,’ Earth or Stellio. “They’re no Quentin. But one greedy person can cause a lot of damage.” Virgil paces then stop. “Roman and Patton...”

"I guess we will wait and see. For now, our mission is to help the Terrorlings."

Virgil paces. “Yeah...” he sounds distracted.

"Virgil?"

“Huh?” He looks at Terrance.

"You ok?"

“Oh yeah.” He keeps pacing.

"What are you thinking about?"

Virgil sighs. “My friends on Earth. If they’re safe... if the government is questioning them because of me.”

"Why you? Did you get in trouble with your government?"

“We don’t take kindly to strangers.” Virgil sighs. “Okay, so. We meet Logan then Deceit kidnaps us then brings us back. Our government wanted to question us, but I wanted to protect Logan, so I tased the agents and ran while my friends got taken in. They were released, I found Logan, we rebuilt his ship, I said bye to my friends, I disappeared off the face off the Earth. It’s okay though cause no one cared about me anyways except Roman and Patton, so no one noticed except the government who keeps tabs on each individual citizen.”

"You think they're looking for you?" Terrance raises an eyebrow.

“Not me specifically. They wouldn’t waste the most advanced ship they have on finding me, but finding out what happened to me, yeah.”

"Let's just hope nothing bad happens."

Virgil’s heart skips a beat, and he starts pacing again. “I need to make sure they’re okay.”

"Is there a way to contact them?"

“No. I haven’t tried because one, they don’t have any space worth communication and two, the government could track our messages back to Stellio, putting you all in danger. All of our meetings have been face to face.” Virgil stops pacing and looks at Terrance. “Sir, permission to be relieved of duty.”

"Virgil I need you here. Look I get that you care about your friends, but you have a job to do." Virgil closes his eyes and goes back to pacing. "I'm sorry, but it will have to wait until we are done with the Terrorling situation."

“Yes, sir.”

...

That night shift, Virgil goes to the hangar and moves towards his ship. He stops and places his hand on it.  _ ‘You have a job to do.’ _ He sighs and looks down. “This is why I didn’t want to sign...” he turns around and goes back to bed. 


	2. Chapter 2

Logan and Terra make their way to George’s room. He relaxes heavily as they see him awake. Terra rushes over and hugs him tight. George leans on him and yawns. Logan talks to the nurse. "We ran some test and there are some short, maybe, long term effects."

Logan frowns as his shoulders tense and he grips his pants legs to ground himself. "Like what?"

"He needs glasses. He can't see well at all. We have already ordered a pair. He has a short attention span and likes to wonder so keep an eye on him. He experiences stronger emotional reactions. Positive and negative but worst of all his is energy level." 

Logan frowns deeper his knuckles go white. "What to do you mean?"

"He gets tired very quickly. When he has the energy he is like no other kid but he will take a nap after an hour of play." 

Logan nods "I see..." He talks a deep breath then looks at Terra and George. George feels around Terra’s face, squinting his eyes. He yawns again and starts playing with Terra’s dress.

Terra giggles  **"How can you be tired? You’ve been sleeping for a month." ** George tilts his head.

Logan turns his attention back to the nurse. "Is there anything we can do?"

The nurse shakes her head. "It might go away on its own children's brains are still growing gives them a chance to work itself out but there is nothing  _ we _ can do." George yawns again and closes his eyes, curling up in Terra’s lap. Logan looks down at the floor processing the information. His heart pounds in his chest he goes over and gently pets George’s head. George blinks and looks up at him. He continues blinking, trying to figure out who it is.

"It's Papa, George." Logan picks him up and sits down on the bed.

George gasps. ** “Papa!”** He hugs him.

Logan holds him close squeezing his eyes shut. He pulls his legs up and curls around George protectively then take deep breaths to calm his racing heart. "I love you, George."

**“I love you too Papa.”** George smiles and relaxes.

"Are you tired?" Logan’s tone is soft as he gently rocks George. George nods and yawns again in response. "Ok let's get you home." Logan kisses his cheek. George giggles and closes his eyes. Logan stands up. "Come on Terra." Terra takes Logan’s hand and walks with them. Logan puts George in a baby seat in the back. He hands his phone to Terra. "Call Virgil, let him know we got George." Terra tries to call Virgil but gets sent to voicemail. He hands it to Logan, not sure what to do. "Hey, Virgil just wanted to tell you that we picked George up at the hospital. We are heading home now. I love you." He hangs up the phone and starts driving.

...

“That’s the last crate.” One of the officers sets it down in front of Virgil. 

“Good. Let’s gather them over-“ He hears screams and turns around. The beginnings for a new building in the village is falling, coming down over the workers who are scattering. Virgil races over and extends his hands, stopping the frame mid-fall. He brings it back into place and holds it still as the crews work to get it stabilized. Once they give him the all-clear, he lets go then collapsed to the ground landing on his shoulder and for a moment he can’t breathe. When the air finally reaches him, he coughs and curls up into a fetal position.

An officer goes over to him. "Virgil are you ok?"

Virgil tenses, his body feels like it’s being hit with a thousand tiny needles. His ears ring and he almost can’t hear the commotion around him. He starts screaming and thrashing on the ground, covering his ears desperately but it doesn’t stop. He sees the plants, he feels their pain. What is causing this?  _ ‘It hurts so much!’ _ The pain comes in pulses, surging through the planet and his body. Eventually, it stops and Virgil’s left shaking.

"Virgil? Someone get a doctor!" The officer calls out. Virgil closes his eyes. 

...

Virgil wakes on a bed, some people talking near him. He groans and blinks. He feels someone take his hand and looks over to see Terrance looking at him with concern. “Hey... how do you feel?”

“I don’t know...” Virgil frowns. “What happened? What was that?”

“We were hoping you could tell us.” Terrance frowns. 

Virgil thinks. “It hurt so much... the planet. The planet was hurting and I couldn’t stop feeling it’s pain...”

"People with nature abilities feel a strong connection with it. Maybe we should investigate why the planet is hurting. Make sure we aren't leaving the Terrorlings on a dying planet or something." The doctor says. 

Terrance nods. Virgil closes his eyes again. He briefly thinks about the consequences of using his powers so often, but stuffs it down and begins searching. He slowly gets a headache but ignores it. He senses the plants over an area are completely dead and not coming back like they were poisoned. He digs beneath the surface and begins to feel like he’s sinking. He scrambles desperately back towards the surface but keeps getting dragged down, deeper, deeper- 

Virgil screams and launches himself off the bed, landing on the floor. “Virgil!” Terrance moves towards him. Virgil looks around in panic and sees someone moving towards him, he can’t figure out who. They get too close and he thrusts his hands forward, Terrance’s weapons and badge dragging him to the wall and pinning him there. One of the officers pulls out his gun and aims at Virgil. "Officer stand down," Terrance yells. "Virgil calm down please." 

Virgil sees the gun and his eyes widen. He reaches his hand out and yanks it from the officer, throwing it on the floor. He crawls into a corner, shaking and looking around. He sees Earth, and for a moment he calms. Then he sees it on fire, the places he loved falling to the ground, people being kidnapped and forced into a system much like the T.P.O. He sees Roman and Patton, Patton being beaten as Roman fights to try to save him, but ends up getting killed. He blinks and looks up to someone in front of him with a needle. They grab his arm and insert the needle. Virgil screams and shoves the person away, staring at the needle. He flinches then falls to the ground, releasing Terrance.

The doctor pants and goes over to Virgil, taking the needle out and cleaning the area. He picks him up and puts him back on the bed. “He needs to rest. He’s been using his nature powers too much, and when that happens it causes hallucinations.”

Terrance nods he looks at the officer. "Never pull a gun on a fellow officer." 

The officer flinches "Yes sir, sorry sir." 

Terrance sighs "Go get a group and search for any planet damages." he turns to the doctor "Inform me when he wakes up and keep him here." Terrance walks away.


	3. Chapter 3

The crews search the planet for any permanent damage, but as far as they can tell the planet is fine. Then again, they aren't geologists. Virgil wakes, and the doctor explains what happened and orders him not to use his powers for a few days. The doctor then calls Terrance, who arrives a few minutes later. "You ok?"

“Yeah...” Virgil looks ashamed. “I’m sorry.”

"You weren't well." he sits down. "We couldn't find anything." 

“No surprise. The whole surface  _ looks _ the same. It all looks dead, but most of it is just burned. It’ll come back. But there are some places where the plants feel like they were poisoned. I tried to dig into the surface and felt like I was sinking. Then I just kept falling.”

“Out of body experiences. A clear sign of power overuse.” The doctor comments.

"I think it will be in your best interest to go home and rest."

Virgil looks up; his mind immediately split between wanting to go home and see his family or stay and continue aiding the rebuild. “But-“

"Virgil. That is an order." 

Virgil bites his lip and looks down. “Yes, sir.”

"You can come after a week of rest. I will send a request for some geologist and look deeper." 

Virgil nods. “Okay.”

...

Virgil’s ship lands and he steps off with a single bag. He goes to the speeder rental and hops on one, heading home. He gets there and knocks on the door. Terra opens the door.  **"DADDY!"** he hugs him. 

Virgil picks him up and rocks him, smiling. “Hey.” He kisses his head. 

**"PAPA! DADDY IS HOME!"** Logan comes down the stairs rocking a sleeping George. 

"Terra no yelling." 

Virgil gasps. “George!?” He whispers yells.

Logan comes over. "Did you not get my message?" he kisses Virgils cheek.

“What? No?” Virgil sighs and hugs them, returning Logan’s kiss and kissing George’s head.  “I don’t get a lot of free time...” he mumbles.

**"Well, you are here now. Come on."** Terra drags Virgil inside. Virgil sets his bag on the couch and leans on it.  **“Now we can go picnicking, or movie night, or games, or swimming, or, or.”** Terra thinks. 

Virgil smiles tiredly. “Sounds nice but I only have a few days.”

**“Why?”** Terra pouts. 

“I was ordered to take a week off, but then I need to go back to help with Terror.”

Logan sits next to him. "Is everything ok?"

“Yup.” Virgil closes his eyes. Terra crawls up next to him and Virgil pets his head.

Logan hands George to Virgil and goes into the kitchen. Virgil smiles down at him and pets both him and Terra. George yawns and holds onto Virgil. Logan comes back with a glass of water. Virgil looks up. “Thank you.” He sips it.

"You look tired." Logan massages his head.

“Yeah...” Virgil’s eyes slide closed.

"How about you take George and you two take a nap."

“Okay.” Virgil doesn’t move. 

Terra giggles.  **“Come on, Daddy. Wake up!”**

Logan pulls him up. "I think our bed is more comfortable." he drags him upstairs.

Virgil’s feet move to keep up. They get upstairs, and Logan helps him lay down. Virgil sighs and keeps George protectively close. “Earth has a space worth-ship now, and they saw us.”

Logan kisses Virgil's head. "Sleep now, talk later." Logan tucks him in.

Virgil sighs. “Terror’s sick...” he mumbles, slowly losing to sleep.

"Sleep." Logan turns the light off and goes downstairs. He walks up to Terra. "You want to help me set up a welcome home party?"

Terra gasps and nods.  **“Yes!”**

Logan chuckles "Come on." 

...

Virgil wakes up a few hours later with someone slapping his face. He groans and blinks. He sees George slapping his face. He squints his eyes, trying to see Virgil. Virgil pets George’s head. “George?”

**"Daddy?"**

“Yeah.” Virgil smiles, but he’s worried. “Are you okay?”

**"I can't see."** he feels Virgil's face.

Virgil frowns. “Oh.” He cups George’s hand.

**"Where are my glasses?"** he feels around the bed. 

“Uhh...” Virgil sits up. “Maybe Papa knows. Logan!”

"Yes!?" Logan calls out from downstairs.

“Where's George’s glasses?”

"They're down here." George starts crawling and almost off the bed. Virgil scoops him up and rocks him. He heads downstairs.

When he gets down there, he sees the living room is decorated like a party. There is a quickly made "Welcome home" bander. Terra jumps from behind the couch. "*Surprise!" he giggles.

Virgil gasps and smiles. “Aww! Thank you, guys!”

Logan comes out with a cake. "Anything for our hero." 

Terra runs around him.  **"Daddy is a superhero!"**

Virgil blushes. “You’re exaggerating-“

**"Daddy takes down the bad guys!"** Terra beams  **"Your the best." ** Terra hugs him. Logan puts George's glasses on him. 

Virgil smiles and kneels, hugging Terra tightly. “I do it for you.”

Terra giggles,  **"I love you." ** Logan joins the hug.

“I love you too.”

"I figure since you are only going to be here for a short time, I thought we could have a party and have fun tonight." Logan smiles.

Virgil smiles. “Sounds good.” He kisses Logan’s cheek.

Logan takes George, and they go to the table for cake. "Did you enjoy your nap?" Virgil and George both nod. Virgil and Terra sit down. Terra beside Virgil, giggling. "Terra wants to play some games after we eat. Then I thought we could all snuggle on the couch and watch a movie." 

“Okay!” Virgil smiles.

Logan offers him a fork of cake. "I picked your favorite." 

Virgil takes it and gasps midchew. “Chocolate raspberry!?”

Logan chuckles "Of course." Terra giggles Virgil takes another bite and hums happily. For a moment, his worries are forgotten. George smashes his cake and puts it in his mouth. Terra laughs Logan chuckles and starts to clean him up. George giggles. Virgil smiles at them lovingly. Logan starts to feed George, who claps his hands. It's a sweet sight. Virgil looks at Terra who’s beaming at him. Virgil sighs and relaxes, the first time he has in a long time, always expecting something terrible to happen. But no, tonight is a good night. He’s with his family, and they’re safe and happy. That’s all he needs right now.


	4. Chapter 4

Logan and Virgil carry a sleeping Terra and George into their new bedroom. Terra goes on the top bunk. They kiss their heads before going to their rooms. Logan holds onto Virgil. "Did you enjoy the party?"

“Yeah. It was nice.” Virgil nuzzles him.

"I love you." 

“I love you too.” Virgil kisses him.

Logan kisses him back. "Anything else I can do for you?" he smiles

Virgil smirks before it falters. “Why are you all treating me like some sort of god?”

Logan frowns "I didn't mean for it to go that far. It's just, Terra needed someone to look up to someone who is fighting for him and you fight like no one else." 

Virgil draws his knees up. “I’m a killer.”

logan rubs his back. "Is this about the mayor of leadership?"

“This is about everyone. I can’t even count the number of people I’ve killed, whether they be innocent or not. I keep thinking about if there was another way. I’m scared of Earth joining everyone in space because we’re not ready. I’m scared of what everyone could do to my planet, and what my planet could do to them. I’m scared of being the one to cause it yet I need to keep the ones I love safe and it feels like the only way I can do that is killing.” Virgil hides his face. “This isn’t who I thought I was...”

Logan holds him. "I am sorry." 

“It’s not your fault.” Virgil rubs his eyes.

"I know and this isn't yours either. What your planet does isn't your fault. The people you killed were not innocent." Logan sighs "You did what you thought was right at the time. You can't help it now. All that matters now is what you want to do now."

Virgil stares at the ceiling. “I’m going to Earth.”

"You want me to come with you?"

“If you want... what about the kids?”

"We can bring them or leave them with my parents or Emile and Remy." Logan shrugs.

**“WE’RE GOING TO EARTH!?”** Terra squeals from the stairs and Virgil jumps.

Logan looks at Terra. "You are supposed to be in bed." Logan gets up. "And no yelling in the house." Logan picks him up.

Terra looks sheepish.  **“Sorry. I was thirsty.”** Virgil gets up and gets a glass of water for him.  **“Are we going to Earth!?”** He sounds hopeful. Virgil looks at Logan.

Logan looks at Virgil in the eye. "Yes, we are going to Earth."

**"YAA-" **

"BUT you need to finish all of your homework first." 

**"Aww, Papa!"**

Virgil chuckles. “Homework then Earth. Okay?” He hands the glass of water to Terra and kisses his head.

**"Fiiiiiinnnneeee."** Logan smirks and takes him back upstairs.

...

The family approaches Earth on their cloaked ship. Virgil insisted they stay cloaked when they’re even near Earth, even though it drains the power more and slows them down. Logan, Terra, and George all have watches on. Virgil guides the ship to an empty field and lands as quietly as possible. He grabs a small bag filled with shrunken bags filled with everything they need. He shrinks the ship, puts it on a keychain, and they’re on their way. Virgil leads them through the back way to Patton and Roman’s apartment, taking note of the increased police and some new tech that he hasn’t seen before. Terra ooos and ahhs at everything while George is content laying his head on Logan’s shoulder, sucking his thumb. They get to the apartment and Virgil closes his eyes for a moment. He senses two people inside and- a dog!? He knocks. Patton opens the door. "AHHHH" he hugs them. 

Virgil flinches and pulls everyone inside, shushing Patton. “Hey.”

Roman stands up. “Walt Disney. You have kids!?”

Terra runs around the house. "It's a long story." Logan rocks George.

Patton awws. "He's so cute! Logan, good to see you."

Terra runs down the hall and hears barking. He opens a door and screams, running back to the living room.  **“DADDY!”** He leaps into Virgil’s arms. A german shepherd comes bounding down the hall and Terra screams again. 

“Shh... it’s okay he’s not going to hurt you. That’s a dog. He just wants to be your friend.” Virgil rocks Terra and kneels down. The dog comes over and Terra flinches. “Shh. Just let him sniff you. It’s how he says hi. See?” Virgil lets the dog sniff his hand. “Now you try.” He takes Terra’s hand and holds it steady as Terra whines. The dog wags its tail. “See his tail wagging? That means he’s happy and likes you!” Terra hesitantly starts petting the dog, quickly calming down and growing attached to it. He giggles. 

“Dog is silly.”

George looks at the dog. Logan moves closer so George can pet it with his free hand and he sucks on his thumb. "Doggie."

Patton squeals "Oh isn't this adorable." He takes a picture.

Virgil bites his lip. “Uh- Pat?”

"Yeah?"

“They’re- um. Kind of aliens so... maybe taking pictures isn’t the best idea.”

“Oh, it’s fine! They look like normal kids!” Roman says. 

“It won’t be fine when someone comes and tries to take them.” Virgil almost growls. Roman blinks at takes a step back. Virgil sighs. “I’m sorry I’m just- stressed.”

“More like paranoid.” Roman mumbles. 

“For good reason!”

George whines. Logan rocks him. Patton frowns "Ok everyone, let's just calm down. Here the picture is gone. I won't take any more pictures."

Virgil looks around and closes his eyes. “I need a minute.” He goes upstairs.

Logan frowns. Terra looks at Roman. "You upset Daddy!" He pouts. 

Logan holds him. "Terra be nice."

Roman puts his hands up. “Sorry.”

"Daddy is the best Daddy in the world. He's a superhero."

Roman smirks. “A superhero huh? Like Batman?” Terra blinks. Roman makes an offended gasp. “You’ve  _ NEVER _ heard of Batman!? This will not stand!”

Virgil appears at the top of the stairs. “You are NOT showing him Batman!”

“What about Iron Man? I mean you are Iron Man. And Ant-Man.”

Even Logan looks confused with the references. Terra just rolls with it. "Daddy is better he's... He's..." Terra thinks "Super Daddy Man."

Roman bursts out laughing and Virgil covers his mouth, looking touched. “Super Daddy Man, huh?” He smirks at Virgil who blushes. 

“Shut up.” Virgil pushes past Roman. Terra goes to Virgil and hugs him. Logan smiles and Patton looks like he's watching the sweetest thing ever.

Roman bursts out laughing and Virgil covers his mouth, looking touched. “Super Daddy Man, huh?” He smirks at Virgil who blushes. 

“Shut up.” Virgil pushes past Roman. Terra goes to Virgil and hugs him. Logan smiles and Patton looks like he's watching the sweetest thing ever.

Virgil smiles softly and kisses his head, giving him a squeeze. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too Terra.”

"Awwww my little kiddo is all grown up and has kiddos of his own."

Virgil blushes. “Paaaat!”

Logan chuckles. "We are engaged." Logan shows his ring.

Roman falls off the couch, immediately shooting up. “WHAT!? WHEN!?” He squeals.

"Last month," Logan smirks

Terra giggles madly. “I helped!”

Virgil looks around but can’t find George. “George!?” He starts panicking. Terra looks around and goes into the kitchen. 

“Found him!” He holds George up triumphantly. Virgil sighs. 

Roman looks back at Logan and Virgil. “Well, congrats you guys!”

“Thanks... I wanted to invite you two to the wedding, but...” Virgil looks out the window worriedly.

"Oh yeah, we wanted to invite you to our wedding too." Patton smiles.

Virgil looks at him then Roman. Roman wiggles his fingers, a gold ring with red jewels on his hand. “We ended up proposing at the same time.” Roman laughs.

Patton laughs "That was a night. You drop the box."

Roman blushes. “You swept me off my feet!” 

Virgil walks to the window and gazes out it. He looks back at them. “Well, I’m happy for you guys.” He offers a smile, though Patton and Logan can both tell he’s tense.

Patton frowns "Virgil is something wrong?" Roman looks at Virgil 

“Huh? No, I-“

Patton laughs "That was a night. You drop the box."

Roman blushes. “You swept me off my feet!” 

Virgil walks to the window and gazes out it. He looks back at them. “Well, I’m happy for you guys.” He offers a smile, though Patton and Logan can both tell he’s tense.

Patton frowns "Virgil is something wrong?" Roman looks at Virgil 

“Huh? No, I-“

“Virgil stop. I’m THE master actor here. I can tell you’re lying.” Roman says. Virgil looks at all of them looking at  _ him _ . He looks back out the window, the view making him feel a little less trapped. Roman frowns. “Virge... what happened out there?” Virgil stays stone still. Logan takes Roman and Patton to a separate room. George hugs Virgil's leg while Terra gets his waist. Virgil digs his nails into the window sill. He sighs and slides down to the ground, hugging his kids.


	5. Chapter 5

"And that is the quick story." 

Patton covers his mouth. "Oh my God."

Roman stares at Logan. “You let him go through that?”

"I was in a coma." Roman rubs his face. "I'm sorry I tried to get him to rest but he wouldn't. He wouldn't let it go." 

Patton places "Wow Lo... Just..." Patton can't think of how to end that sentence still processing all that he learned about his dear and close friend and the horrors he went through. 

Roman sighs. “Virgil would always run away. Why would he...?”

"I guess he found something to fight for. I have never seen Virgil run from a fight." 

"You have known him for almost two years. I've known him since we were kids and he would never hurt anyone." 

"Patton please understand I'm not lying here."

"Right because your people never lie." Roman rolls his eyes. 

"Roman-"

“No. You dragged him into this mess! You got him hurt! This is your fault-“

The door opens. “Roman.” Virgil glares at him.

Logan sighs "Virgil made his own choice. I can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do so Roman, it isn't my fault." 

"Giving the government alien tech was though." 

"What?"

_ ‘Government. Alien tech. Ship. Quentin.’ _ Virgil’s thoughts come in rapid-fire and he tenses. “The ship I was telling you about.”

“Yeah. The fleet it saw was all over the news. Anyone with a telescope could see it.” Roman crosses his arms. 

“We didn’t give the government alien tech.” Virgil protests. “And we’re  _ not _ the only people out there! Earth isn’t ready for space!”

“We?” Roman questions. “Virgil, you’re not one of them-“

“WELL, I NEVER WAS ONE OF YOU!” Everyone stands in silence for a moment.

Patton looks down. "Virgil, your car and an alien engine in it." 

Logan frowns. "Oh right..." 

Virgil opens his mouth then closes it. “I’ll be back.” He turns and walks out with the look Logan recognizes as stubbornness.

Logan sighs "I am so sorry. I hope my mistake doesn't cause any more problems." Logan walks out of the room. Patton frowns and holds Roman's hand.

Roman sighs and they head out just as the front door closes. Terra goes to Logan. “Daddy wouldn’t stay!”

Logan picks him up. "Daddy needs some alone time. Where is George?" Terra points to the couch. Logan goes to the couch. George is curled up with the dog, sleeping happily. Logan smiles and sits down petting the dog. Roman starts making dinner. 

...

Virgil turns on his watch and changes his appearance a bit. He goes to a car lot and chooses a car furthest in the back. He flicks his hand and the doors unlock. He concentrates and uses his powers to hotwire the car. It starts and he winces, the rumbling not all that nice to him, but at least he has a ride. He gets on the road and drives off. About a half-hour on the road and he feels his phone vibrate. He pulls it out and glances at it, seeing Logan calling. “Shit.” He shuts his phone down, still worried about being tracked. He continues driving until he reaches the NASA launching station. He sees the ship on the launch pad, ready for its next mission. 

Virgil parks the car a distance away and makes a tunnel. He’s quickly met with a metal wall. He rolls his eyes and creates a gap in it. He looks around before shifting his watch so he’s now wearing the same clothes as the other people. He makes his way through the halls, though he’s not sure where he’s going. “Aquo.” He whispers and Aquo activates, still around his neck. “Scan.” Aquo begins scanning the surroundings, displaying the scan on the glasses Virgil is wearing. There’s a green light to the left. Virgil goes through that door and looks around. 

He seems to be in a biology lab of sorts, carefully preserved pieces of animals and plants kept all around the room, but Virgil recognizes them to be not of Earth. He sees a shadow move along the back wall and tenses. He carefully moves closer to the large tank. He grabs a flashlight and turns it on. He jumps when he sees a large creature in front of him. 

The creature looks something like a merman, a human body with sliver scales over his yellow tail. His translucent fins are also yellow. He has two fins on his back as well and he wears some bracelets made of seaweeds and shells. He has brown hair that looks to be slightly shorter than shoulder length and mismatched eyes, the right one brown, and the left one yellow. His face is bird-like, having a beak and feathers behind his ears. He looks at Virgil curiously, though scared. Virgil looks at him the same. “What’s your name?” He asks and places his hand on the glass in a greeting manner.

The creature looks at it then does the same. “N-Nemo.”

Amusement flashes across Virgil’s face for a moment before it’s replaced by sympathy. “Are you from Earth?”

The creature- Nemo shakes his head. “I’m from Atlanium. I’m a Syrni.”

Virgil tilts his head. “How’d you end up here?” 

“I was on an exploration mission.” Nemo looks sheepish. “Actually... I was running away from home.” Virgil nods. “I was exploring this planet’s oceans for a few months... then I was... fished out of the sea.” He looks like that’s supposed to be a punch line, only for Virgil to simply raise a brow. Nemo looks confused. “You’re the only human who hasn’t made any fish jokes about me.”

“That would be cruel in my opinion.”

Nemo shrugs and looks down. “The scientists like to make jokes... that’s how I know so a lot of your culture.”

“So you’re trapped here? As their pet?” Virgil frowns. 

“They were using me for research. Said I’m the cause of the legends of mermaids.” Virgil looks down and rubs his face. Nemo swims away, looking sad. “I’ll... I’ll stop talking-“

“No! No, it’s not you, it’s just- I don’t know what to do. I’m here on a mission to destroy Earth’s knowledge of space travel but now that I’m thinking about it, it won’t do anything cause they probably have the info copied on a hundred hard drives. But I also want to help you get home but I’m not strong enough to carry you all the way back.”

“Oh. I can walk.” Virgil raises a brow at him and his tail. “I’m serious! I have wings too! Once I’m out of the water I can change back!”

Virgil thinks it over. “Okay.” He searches for a way to open the tank. He finds a panel and presses a button. The water starts draining. Once it’s mostly empty, Nemo sits up and focuses. His tail morphs into two legs and the fins on his back grow into a pair of beautiful wings, the insides gray and silver, the outsides brown and gold. He opens his eyes and smiles at Virgil. Virgil smiles back and extends a hand. The glass shatters and Nemo hops out. He stretches and shakes his wet hair. Virgil giggles. “Hey!”

Nemo laughs and hugs him. “Thank you!” Virgil freezes for a moment and Nemo lets go. “Oh! I’m sorry! I’m a hugger but I know some people don’t like physical attention so I usually ask but I just-“

“No, it’s okay!” Virgil tries to keep up with the rant of words the bird just said. “I just wasn’t expecting it.” Nemo nods and smiles in relief. “Come on. Let’s go.” Virgil takes off his watch and puts it on Nemo. He looks at it. 

“What’s this?” 

“A disguise.” Virgil turns it on and Nemo now looks like a normal human. He looks at himself. 

“This is so boring.”

Virgil chuckles and grabs a lab coat that was left behind, slipping it on. “Sorry, but we wanna keep a low profile.” They head out and Virgil leads him back the way they came. 

They get in the car and Virgil closes his eyes, extending a hand. Nemo looks at him. “What are you-“ There’s an explosion and Nemo looks and sees the ship falling in the distance. “Oh.”

Virgil pants and closes his eyes again, hot-wiring the car once more. He feels dizzy but pushes past it. “Let’s go.”


	6. Chapter 6

They get back to the apartment with only one close call when Virgil got a headache and nearly sent them off the road. He knocks on the apartment door, Nemo beside him still disguised.

Patton opens the door he hugs Virgil. "Oh thank goodness your ok. We tried calling you, but you wouldn't pick up. Logan and Roman went looking for you."

“I know, sorry. I was busy. Call them back.” Virgil rubs Patton’s back, though his tone is semi-authoritative.

Patton picks up the phone and calls Roman. "Yeah he's back, and he brought a friend?" Patton looks at Nemo. 

On the other side, Logan sighs, "It better not be another child." 

Roman shushes him. "We are coming back now, see you soon love you."

"Love you too." Patton hangs up the phone.

Nemo smiles sheepishly. “Hi. I’m Nemo.” Virgil drags them both inside.

Patton offers his hand. "Patton nice to meet you." Nemo looks at it and tilts his head. He touches Patton’s hand instead of shaking it. Patton shakes his hand. "Virgil where did you finding Nemo?" He smiles at his joke.

Nemo looks down. Virgil frowns and rubs Nemo’s shoulder. “In the NASA base.”

"Oh." Patton frowns "What were you doing there?"

“I’m sure it’ll be on the news soon,” Virgil says. Nemo looks at the watch and takes it off. He goes back to his normal form and hands the watch to Virgil who looks panicked.

"Wow." Patton looks at Nemo. "That answers and raises so many questions."

Roman burst through the door and Virgil gets into a defensive stance. “Patton! Mi Amor- what is that!?” Virgil stands protectively in front of Nemo and hisses.

Logan sighs "You really can't help yourself." Logan closes the door.

“He was trapped in a tank!” Virgil defends, backing up. Nemo stays hidden behind him.

"Virgil, please calm down I don't want you to wake up the kids." Virgil sighs Logan looks at Nemo. He speaks in a different language. "Hello, I am Logan of Stellio it is nice to meet you." Logan bows. 

Nemo’s eyes widen, and he bows as well. “Prince Nemo of Atlanium. You know Syrni?” He asks in the same language. Virgil blinks and looks between them.

"Indeed I took a class in your history the honor is mine, your highness."

Patton whispers to Roman, "What is happening?"

Roman shakes his head, dumbfounded he looks at Virgil who looks just as confused. Nemo looks at the others. “I take it they don’t know Syrni?” He says in basic.

"No, they are all human. They only know basic." Logan speaks in basic. He clears his throat. "Everyone this is Prince Nemo of Atlanium also know as Neptune."

Virgil’s eyes widen, and he bows. “You’re a prince!?” Roman exclaims.

"Roman don't be rude." Logan rolls his eyes. Patton bows. 

Nemo looks at Virgil and Patton and shakes his head. “That’s not necessary.” He looks at Roman. “And yes.”

"What brings you to Earth?" Logan asks

“I um...” Nemo looks sheepish. 

“He said he was running away from home,” Virgil says. 

Nemo rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah...”

“Running away from home!? But you’re a prince!” Roman says. 

“Some of us don’t want to be princes...” Nemo mumbles.

"Ignore him come sit down." Logan leads him to the couch. "These are good people who will be safe with us." 

Nemo sits down. He sighs and looks Logan in the eyes. “Please don’t let my title cause you to treat me differently than anyone else. I want to be equal to you.”

"That is completely understandable. I am a mayor on my planet, but I am no better than anyone else." 

Nemo smiles then frowns. “Didn’t something happen on Stellio? Like a scholar or something?”

“Quentin. He tried to take control of the planet.” Virgil says. 

“Yeah, that’s right. And everyone was looking for him. Did you ever find him.”

“Yes. He’s dead.” Virgil goes into the kitchen. 

Nemo frowns a bit. “Oh.”

"It was for the best he was a terrorist and needed to go down." Logan leans back. 

Nemo nods. “Yeah... I can see that.” 

Roman comes around the other side of the couch. “So what’s it like being a real prince!?” He practically is star struck. 

Nemo sighs. “It’s exhausting and boring.”

“What!? You have like servants and stuff, right!?”

“Yeah. That’s the problem. Everyone does everything for me. I want to do things for other people, but my father says ‘oh no. Prince’s don’t cook. Prince’s don’t clean. Prince’s don't-‘ blah blah blah.” Nemo lays back and groans. “Sorry, Dad, I can’t be perfect!”

Patton drags Roman away. "Roman maybe you should back up. Think Cinderella 2." 

Roman frowns. “Oh.”

Logan clears his throat. "So Nemo you ran from home and came to Earth?"

“Yeah... I was exploring the oceans and stuff. It was cool until the scientists pulled me out to learn about me cause they thought I was the mermaid of their legends.”

Roman’s eyes widen. “Oh yeah... I remember there was a bunch of merman sightings a while ago.”

"Yes, Syrnians are masters of the sky and sea." Logan nods "I am sorry that that happened to you." 

Nemo shrugs and plays with his bracelets. “It’s not like they hurt me... badly. They just didn’t understand-“

Virgil slaps the counter. “No. That was wrong! You don’t just capture people!” Roman and Patton are both shocked by Virgil’s anger-filled eyes. 

_ ‘Is this what Logan was talking about when he said he’s never seen Virgil run from a fight?’  _ Roman thinks.

"Virgil the kids." Logan sighs "My partner, and I are here for a few days. You can come with us on our way out and then go where you please. Until then you can stay here."

"Uh Lo, sorry but Roman and I don't make enough money to house five extra people."

Logan rolls his eyes "Currency such a weird philosophy. You only get things you need by giving other people paper, and it disadvantages people who don't have enough of it. It's ridiculous."

"It's motivation to work," Roman says 

Logan doesn't look moved. "Motivation? Motivation is helping the community and caring about one another. This capitalism strengthens greed and competition just to survive."

"Well sorry, we can't be as perfect as Uranus!" Roman crosses his arms. Logan glares at him.

Nemo lowers his head, wings pressing closer to his body, sensing the tension. 

Virgil looks at all of them. “Hey. It’s fine. We brought our food because of this.” Virgil points to his bag and looks at Nemo. “What do you like?” 

“Squilla?” Nemo looks hungry. “Oh, I haven’t had squilla in forever!”

Virgil blinks. “I don’t think we have that. Sorry. We mostly have fruits and vegetables.”

“Oh. It’s okay!” Nemo smiles. “I usually eat seafood, but some fruit would be nice!”

Logan sighs "I'll get you a banana." Logan goes over to the bag. 

Patton rubs Roman's back. "Please stop trying to fight with everyone." 

Roman sighs. “I wasn’t doing anything!” He whispers. 

“I can hear you,” Virgil says, pointedly from the kitchen. Nemo looks around curiously and finds the remote. He tilts his head and presses some buttons, one of them being the power. He looks at the TV in wonder when it turns on. 

“The spacecraft Retriever has been destroyed tonight in a freak accident due to faulty support systems.” A reporter says as a video of the burning wreckage plays.

Logan looks at Virgil. "Please tell me you didn't?" Virgil bites his lip. Logan rubs his face. "Damnit, Virgil."

Roman looks at the TV. “There’s no way he could have done that.” Virgil raises a brow at Roman but stays silent. He finishes making his dish and puts it in the microwave, warming it up.

Logan pats Roman’s shoulder. "You have no idea what Virgil is capable of. I'm going to bed." Logan goes upstairs. 

Roman looks confused. Virgil pulls his dish out of the microwave and splits it onto another plate. He brings one to Nemo. “Microwave apple crumble.” 

Nemo sniffs it and hums. “Smells delicious!” 

“Just make sure to blow.” Virgil turns the TV off.

Nemo blows and takes a bite. He giggles happily and looks at Virgil. “So you have nature powers?”

“Yup.”

“Cool. Mine’s water. Do any of you have elemental powers?” He looks at Roman and Patton. 

“Logan has air,” Virgil says.

"Roman and I don't have powers."

Roman crosses his arm. "It's so unfair." 

Patton giggles "You have the power to win my heart now come on let's go to bed." Patton starts to drag them to Roman's room. Virgil looks around and sees a framed picture on the wall. He stares at it for a moment, like he has a thousand times before. He gets up and goes over to it. It’s a picture of him and Patton with Virgil’s father after Virgil won the science fair in 6th grade. He’s seen it a hundred times, but this time he sees something more. NASA’s symbol on his dad’s shirt. This picture was taken a few months before his father left NASA, why he would never tell Virgil. 

Virgil turns and looks at Patton. “Hey, Pat?”

Patton sticks his head out. "Yeah, Virgil?"

“Can we talk for a little?”

Patton comes out. "Of course." Patton sits on the couch.

Virgil sits down. “You know how my dad was a NASA engineer?” He glances at the picture.

"Yeah, you wanted to be just like him."

Virgil closes his eyes. “And then he left for no reason..” Nemo stays silent, licking his plate clean.

"Yeah, you stayed at my place. You were worried, sick."

Virgil opens his eyes and looks at Patton. “My father hid a crew of Stellios during the war between Deceit’s people and Stellio.” Nemo looks scared.

"Oh... where? how?"

“I don’t know. I saw his picture in the capital and did more research. That must be why he disappeared.” Virgil looks down. “His ex was so angry at him when I got back. He kept saying things like ‘they’ll be back’ and stuff...” Nemo’s face saddens watching Virgil.

"Does this new information upset you? Make you think differently about you, dad?"

“No, I just... I... I don’t know.” Virgil draws his knees up. “Maybe my dad was onto something... maybe I’m supposed to figure it out and finish it.”

"Well, I think your dad would be proud of you. I mean, look at you. You're jacked, got a man you love and two beautiful kids and you're fighting for what's right. I'm proud of you. Do I like that all of that happened and you had to go through it? No, but you did, and you survive, and a lot of good came after it. I bet that was what your father did for the Stellios. He worked to help people in need, just like you're doing now." 

Virgil looks up at Patton and smiles. “Thanks.”

"Any time kiddo. Come here." Patton hugs him Virgil relaxes in his arms and closes his eyes. Patton rubs his back and holds him. Virgil grits his teeth and feels tears wetting Patton’s shirt. "It's ok Virgil for just a moment you can relax." Virgil lets out a sob and clings to him Patton rocks him. Nemo comes over and wraps them in his wings. Virgil curls up between them, crying. After a while, his cries calm to sniffles. "You want to sleep on the couch with me like old times?" Virgil nods. Patton looks at Nemo. "Second door on the left is mine. You can sleep there for the night." 

Nemo nods and stands. “Thank you.” He goes upstairs.

Patton gets comfortable and pulls a blanket over them. "Night Virgil." 

“Night, Pat.” Virgil closes his eyes and sleeps peacefully for most of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Ships are crashing. Lights and sparks are flying. Panicked shouts and angry war cries. Screams and terror. Terror. The planet comes into view, the terrain still scorched.  _ ‘Dig deeper.’ _ Below the surface, a black iridescent liquid has collected. _ ‘Poison.’ _ The trees ache, the grasses burn. The planet wants to vomit, to remove itself from this toxin. Something pets it, soothing it. Telling it’s going to be okay. Help arrives, but she doesn’t know if she can trust them. The last help turned out to be traitors. But they work and rebuild, and she is powerless either way. She can only hope.

...

Virgil blinks and opens his eyes, though tears blur his vision. His cheeks feel wet, and he’s aware of someone cupping his face. “Virgil?” Is that Patton?

“Has this happened before?” Nemo?

“What’s going on?” Roman?

“I don’t know.” Logan. 

“Lo.” Virgil wipes his eyes and sits up. He sees Patton sitting in front of him on the couch, Logan kneeling beside him and Nemo standing next to him.

"Virgil are you ok?" Logan dries his tears.

“I don’t know.” Virgil holds himself. “What happened?”

“You started crying in your sleep after Roman dropped the pans.” Nemo glances at Roman in the kitchen. 

“I said, sorry!”

Virgil closes his eyes and leans on Logan. “It hurts.”

Logan holds him. Terra and George come down crying. "Daddy." Terra goes over to them dragging George who is crying harder both leaving an oil trail.

Virgil frowns and holds them. “You’ve exhausted your powers. You can’t control them anymore, and it’s taking its toll on you.” Nemo says with a frown. 

Virgil looks up. “What?”

“You’re empathic... like me. That extends into our element, which is nature, which increases empathy. You feel the pain of nature. You’ve been using your powers so much and so often that you’ve become saturated. It’s second nature now and can’t turn it off.”

Logan rocks George. "How do you stop it?" Logan his having a hard time holding him given how oily his skin is.

“He needs to rest and relax.”

Virgil looks between the kids.  _ ‘This is my fault.’ _

"Terrorlings are attuned to fear and nightmares. You can't help how you feel." Logan says knowing Virgil is blaming himself. He sits down next to Virgil. Roman looks at the floor. 

"What is this?" The watch slides off George's wrist. Roman looks over and screams, "What is that!" George and Terra cry louder. George sounds demonic. "Demons." 

Virgil gets up and drags Roman upstairs. “They are not! You’re scared of them, and it’s hurting them so stop!”

"They look like heartless from Kingdom Hearts." 

"Yeah, they're scary." 

"And making a mess on my floor. Why is there black liquid everywhere?"

Virgil loses it and slaps Roman. “THEY’RE FUCKING SCARED OKAY!?”

Roman holds his face. "Did you just fucking slap me!?"

“Yes, I did! Now leave my kids alone!” Nemo runs up and grabs Virgil who tries to kick him. Nemo dodges it and places his hand on Virgil’s head. Virgil’s eyes slam shut, and he goes limp.

Roman goes downstairs. "Logan take your ink monster kids and Virgil out of my house." 

Logan glares at Roman. "Don't call them monsters Roman." Terra hides behind Logan. 

"I want to go home. He's scary." 

"I'm scary!?"

Patton rushes over. "Roman calm down please." 

Nemo comes back down, carrying Virgil. He lays Virgil down and goes over to Roman, placing his hand on Roman’s head. Roman’s eyes slam shut, and he falls, Nemo, catching him. "Thank you, Nemo. Can you do that to George? He is to work up." Logan asks as George continues to sobs. Nemo lays Roman down and goes over to George. He places his hand on his head, and he falls asleep. Terra whimpers. Logan looks at him. "Hey, it's ok. No one is going to hurt you." Logan holds him.

Terra curls up in Logan’s arms. “What did we do?” Nemo stands and goes over to Virgil. He sits down next to him and holds his hand, watching him. "Nothing, you did nothing wrong." Logan pets his head.

Terra sniffles and wipes his eyes. Patton tries to pick up Roman. Nemo looks up. “Here.” He goes over and picks Roman up. They go upstairs, and Nemo lays him down on the bed.

"Roman isn't a bad guy just caught off guard and likes to run his mouth." Patton pets his hair.

Nemo nods. “I understand.” He smirks sadly. “He reminds me of my dad. Just- younger. And less experienced.”

"What is your Dad like? If you don't mind me asking." 

Nemo thinks. “He can be arrogant and jealous at times, but he’s also loving and truly does want the best for the people he cares about. He doesn’t get along with most people since he’s so blatant.”

"I know you don't like being a prince but maybe if you want to when you become king you do thinks your way. Give the people a ruler they like. I'm going to be a mighty king, so enemies beware." Patton sings and dances in place.

Nemo raises a brow and shrugs. “I don’t think I have a choice. If I go back, I’m gonna be so grounded. My dad will never let me leave the castle again.” He sighs. “King Evan of the throne of Atlanium, ruler of the Syrni people, 12th of the Jelan bloodline. That’s it. That’s his whole name. You can’t just introduce him as King Evan; it’s gotta be all that.”

"Wow so uptight. Well, I can't tell you how to live your life but when your dad is gone who will be king if you're not there?"

Nemo frowns. “There are other people worthy of the crown... they probably won’t let them just take it though.” He sighs again. “If I don’t go back, and something happens to my father, it will likely lead to global war for the throne.”

"Which is bad. A lot of innocent people can get hurt. I know it sucks, but you do have a responsibility to your people to keep them safe. Even if it means spending a few years with your father." 

Nemo looks at the ceiling. “I know.”

Patton puts a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's not an easy choice and I know you want to be treated like everyone else, but the reality of it is that you're not. You have a lot of power, and you can do a lot of good with it. Or you throw it away and hope the next guy is worthy of the power." 

Nemo lowers his head. “Okay.” He looks at Patton. “Thank you.”

Patton smiles at him. "Don't let your father dictate how you will be king. Just because he is uptight and stubborn with a stupidly long title doesn't mean you have to be like that too. In this case, the apple is far away from the tree." 

Nemo tilts his head in confusion. “Soo... I’m the apple, and my father is the tree?”

"Yeah, the say is the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The tree is the parent, and the apple is the kid. It means that the kid stays close to the parent and is like them. What I was saying was that you are far away from the tree. You don't sound anything like your father. You are your own person who will rule his own way." Nemo smiles and hugs him. Patton hugs him back.


	8. Chapter 8

Roman wakes up with Logan sitting in a chair next to him. "Logan?"

Logan sits tall as always as he has his eyes narrow at Roman arms lying parallel from each other on his legs. "We are going to have a little chat, and you can't leave until we are done." 

Roman sits up. "Ok?"

"You insulted my kids." 

"I'm sorry." 

"No. That is not enough. You need to understand what you did." Logan leans forward back bent now resting his chin on his hands. "My kids are Terrorlings. Who has been through enslavement and Genocide just because of how they look and their abilities. Terra is eight years old, and I found him on a slave ship. People call his people monster and ever time someone gets upset with Terra for just being there. He asks me what did he do wrong." Logan glares at Roman. "So please tell me. What did he do wrong?" Roman swallows and keeps his mouth shut. "Roman I asked you a question. What did my 8-year-old and 3-year-old sons do to be yelled at and called demons?”

Roman looks down. “Nothing.”

"Yeah, nothing. So here is what is going to happen. You are going to apologize to them, and if I ever hear you called them monsters or Demons or heartless every again, you will get more than a slap to the face." Logan stands up and stops at the door. "and that is a promise." He slams the door closed on his way out. Roman winces, and he just sits there for a moment. The door quietly creaks open, and Virgil pokes his head in, frowning.

"How often does Logan keep promises?" 

“Always...” Virgil comes in and quietly closes the door. He goes over to Roman and sits down, looking at the ground. “I’ve never seen him like that...”

"Cool, so I've really upset him." Roman looks ashamed.

Virgil glances at him. “Sorry I slapped you...”

"Sorry that I insulted your kids. That was really racist of me. They didn't deserve that."

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”

"I know." Roman stands up. Virgil stands and walks with him. "I need to make this right." he goes downstairs. Patton is playing patty cake with the kids Roman looks nervous. Terra sees him and hides behind Logan, Logan holds him. 

"It's ok," Logan assures.

"He's mean," Terra whispers. Nemo holds George and looks up at Virgil. Virgil takes George and sits next to Logan, gesturing for Terra to come out. Terra comes out and hugs Virgil. 

Roman takes a deep breath. "I am sorry. I overreacted, and that was not your fault. You can continue to stay here." 

Terra looks up and blinks. “Really?”

"I was out of line." Roman goes over and kneels. "Friends?" he offers his hand. Terra looks at it then up at Roman. He crawls out a little more before leaping forward and hugging Roman. Virgil smiles at them and rocks George.

Roman stubbles backward, "Well ok then." he chuckles Logan relaxes

Terra smiles and hugs him tighter. He pulls back a bit and looks at him, then Virgil, then Roman again. “Uncle 2.” Terra decides and giggles. Virgil snorts and covers his mouth.

"Two? Who's one?"

“Ice cream man!” Terra giggles. 

George looks up. “Uncle?”

“Remy,” Virgil answers Roman and snickers.

"Oh him. Ok, I can't beat Ice cream man." Roman bounces Terra. Terra laughs joyfully Roman looks at Logan. "You had every right to be angry with me." 

"Angry? I wasn't angry." 

Roman blinks "You weren't?"

"No, I was highly upset and disappointed in you but never angry. You think that was angry?" 

Roman nods "You slammed the door." 

"I will admit that that was a little uncalled for, but no, I wasn't angry.” Logan looks out the window watching the clear morning sky. “You will know if I'm angry." Logan sips his coffee.

"Apparently not." Virgil gets up and digs through his bag, grabs another bag, and expands it to standard size. He searches for a change of clothes. 

“Sir! Come in! Captain Terrance!” A panicked voice comes from the clothes. 

Roman looks over. “You have talking clothes?”

“No! My com to the rest of the force!” Virgil digs around and finds his badge with the built-in com-link that he modified. 

“Captain Terrance here. Go ahead.”

“Who’s Terrance?” Roman asks. 

“Shut up!” Virgil listens. 

“Officer Virgil’s signal is on Earth. Do you believe he was captured?”

Virgil winces and he hears Terrance’s disappointment. “No, I do not believe so but have him come to me when he gets back.” There’s a pause. “Why were you looking for him?”

“We’re in Earth’s orbit, sir. We were contacted by government agencies on Earth. They want us to send a landing party.” 

Panic floods Virgil and Terrance’s voice seems to have the same tone. “Who authorized you to do this?” Virgil starts shoving everything back into bags. 

“No one sir...”

There’s another pause before Terrance responds. “Await my arrival.” 

“Yes, sir.”

Virgil zips the bag shut and looks at the others. “Let’s go. Pat, Ro, shampoo the carpets. Wash everything. Don’t leave any trace of us.”

Terra frowns "Daddy?" Logan takes Terra from Roman. 

"Virgil, is this really needed?"

“I am not taking any risks. I warned them. I told them all it takes is one person.” Virgil picks up George. He hugs Roman, then Patton. “I’m sorry we have to go like this-“

“Virge, wait. Maybe you don’t have to.” Roman says. 

“Are you kidding me? They’re gonna be all over!”

“Virgil, They’re watching the sky right now. Taking off at this moment is probably the riskiest thing you could do.” Nemo reasons.

"Nemo is right. If we leave now if will cause suspicion. The best thing to do is lay low."

Virgil sighs and looks down. “Okay.” He sits down. George pats his face. Virgil bounces his leg a moment before giving George to Patton and the necklace with their ship to Logan.

Logan kisses his head. "Can you contact Terrance?"

“Yeah. He’s gonna need back up.” Virgil slips on his uniform. 

“Virgil you’re supposed to be resting,” Nemo warns. 

“I can’t, not help him. He doesn’t know Earth. I do.”

"No using your powers," Logan orders.

“I know.” Virgil kisses him. “If I’m not back, go back to Stellio.”

"Not happening. You are coming back." Logan looks Virgil in the eye.

“I know, but it just might not be on the same ship. You see an opportunity, take it.”

Logan sighs "Let knowledge be your guide."

“Stay safe.” Virgil smiles sadly and heads out the door. 

Nemo looks at Logan. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Daddy can’t be stopped.” Terra shrugs.

"You want to stop Virgil. You need to kill him first. He's a hero on my planet. Everyone knows him."

“He said he was famous, but a hero?” Roman questions. 

“He said he was famous, but a hero?” Roman questions. 

“Daddy save my planet!” Terra says.

"Virgil took out Quentin and the mayor of Leadership and is helping in the rebuilding of Terror. So yeah he's a hero." 

"A superhero!"

Roman blinks. “Wow...” he looks impressed. 


	9. Chapter 9

Virgil finds a quiet, secluded spot. He turns on his com. “Officer Virgil, reporting for duty. Captain Terrance, what is our randevu?”

“Officer Virgil. Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” His voice holds some disappointment yet sass. 

“You know what? You’re the second person to say that to me today.” Virgil comments.

"What are you doing on Earth?"

“That’s personally classified. What is our randevu point?”

"Officer Virgil you can't classify me."

“Yes, I can.”

Terrance sighs "Well then I'm going to classify you. You are off duty, now rest."

“Sir, you are going into a dangerous situation that could potentially start a war or make an ally, and I am the only one on this fleet who has intel on these people. So if you want to do this right, you are going to let me help.”

"I hate it when your right. Ok here is the meeting place."

...

Virgil disguised as a Stellio of Protection waits in the woods for the ship to land. Multiple government vehicles already there. Terrance’s ship makes touch down and Virgil tunnels over to it. He goes in through the emergency escape underneath the ship and hoists himself up. Terrance looks at him, hesitant. “Virgil?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Virgil says and brushes the dirt from his hair.

"I'm still disappointed in you but... What's the game plan?"

“For your information, I was resting... trying. Logan and I came to visit. And the plan is to give away as little information as possible. They’re also probably going to want to disarm us. And scan our tech. Learn about our tech; learn about us. They won’t turn hostile unless given reason to, which would be aggression on our behalf or greed on theirs.”

Virgil messes with his watch then looks back at him. “Let me do the talking.”

"Ok, should we leave our weapons? That way they can't scan them, and it will make us look more friendly."

“Yeah. I didn’t bring any.” Terrance raises a brow at his electro bracelets. “They’re bracelets.” Virgil crosses his arms.

"Uh-huh sure."

Virgil rolls his eyes. “Okay. Here’s the main thing. Humans are intelligent creatures that are easily gullible. Maybe it’s a good thing we’re their first contact. Anyways, as you already know, they tend to be motivated by greed and jealousy so just... don’t give them a reason to want anything from us.”

"Ok so don't tell them about our resources."

Virgil nods and looks back at the door. “Actually, you know what. I take back the let me talk part. You talk. I’m your advisor.” 

“Is there anyone in there?” A voice over a megaphone calls Virgil and Terrance wince. 

“Sensitive Stellio ears...” Virgil mumbles and looks at Terrance. “You ready?”

He nods, "Let's get this over with." Terrance opens the door.

Virgil stands beside him. They’re met with the F.B.I agents and a few scientists with them. The man with the megaphone who seems to be the leader tenses. Some gasp, the scientists frantically write down what they see. Terrance goes up to the man and offers a handshake. “Captain Terrance. This is my advisor-“

“Officer Virgil.” Virgil cuts in, not wanting his full name known and is thankful that his badge only says, Virgil.

"Let's make this short and sweet so we can get on with our lives," Terrance says, looking at Everyone.

“We’d like to bring you in and ask you a few questions if you’ll come with us.” The agent says. 

“Of course.” Terrance goes to shrink his ship out of second nature, but Virgil grabs his hand and stops him, leading him to the waiting car. 

“Please don’t touch our ship,” Virgil says. The scientists look disappointed. Terrance gets in the car. Virgil hops in beside him, still gripping Terrance’s hand. He sees Virgil’s eyes quickly taking in everything. The car starts moving and is soon in the middle of an F.B.I parade on the road. Virgil takes shallow breaths.

"What is this?" Terrance ask

“Escort,” Virgil whispers.

They soon arrive at the F.B.I station, and the car doors are open for them. Terrance and Virgil get out, Virgil immediately racing back to Terrance’s side, still tense. “Come with me.” The agent leads them into the building, down a few halls, and into a large room. There’s a camera facing a table with two chairs. The agent gestured for them to sit down and then goes to sit amongst the incoming scientists and F.B.I agents in front of them. The screen behind them comes online and live feed of different scientists and government members from around the world are displayed, a camera in front of Terrance and Virgil broadcasting the aliens to everyone connected. 

“This is a private investigation of our first contact with alien life. Few people have been selected to view and participate in this.” The agent says. 

Virgil looks at each of the projected feeds.  _ ‘Japan, Russia, Great Britain, more U.S.’  _ he names each of the groups and looks at the people physically there. _ ‘And those guys.’ _ He takes a deep breath.  _ ‘So many people. So many ways this could go wrong.’ _

“Let’s begin.” The agent sits down. “Introduce yourselves, please. Tell us a bit about you and where you’re from.”

"I am CaptainTerrance, and this is Officer Virgil. We are from the Galden Galaxy. Two galaxies from this one." Virgil looks at Terrance, masking his surprise at him lying. 

“What brings you out this far?”

"Exploring. We were curious about if there was life outside of our Galaxy. Which brought us here."

A scientist from the broadcast speaks up. “Our closest galaxy is over 2 million light-years away, and you say you are from 2 galaxies away, so how old are you?”

"320."

“So you’ve found a way to travel faster than the speed of light?” The scientists whisper amongst themselves.

"It still took five years to get here."

“Even still, that means you’ve exponentially increased the rate of travel or decreased the distance via a black hole and-“

A man clears his throat. “Karen.”

Karen sits down. “Sorry.” She still looks excited. 

One of the government agents stands. “Are you aware of anything that may be a threat to our planet.”

“Yourselves,” Virgil speaks up, though his voice his high pitched from his nervousness. “You are ruining your planet. You likely have less than 50 years before the damage is irreversible.”

"Sorry about my partner, he gets passionate about planets."

Virgil pouts. The agent waves him off. “We have our own. How do you know English?”

Terrance shrugs "We call it basic. It's an easy language to learn."

“What will you do now that you’ve found us?”

“Leave. Report our findings back home.” Virgil hides his shaking hand.

"We are so far away with a long travel time. I can't see how we could work together."

The agent nods and sits down. A scientist stands. “Can we get a bio scan?”

“No,” Virgil says.

"I understand that this is exciting to you, but we are not lab rats for you to study. We are just people."

The scientist nods sadly and sits down. Another agent stands. “Are you aware of the events on our planet involving alien life a little over a year ago that involves the disappearance of a male?” Virgil tenses and fidgets with the hem of his uniform.

"No, this is the first time we have come into contact with Earth."

The agent nods and sits down. “Any more questions?” The agents and scientists look at each other and shake their heads, some looking disappointed.

“Is your arrival in any way connected to the destruction of one of our space shuttles?” One asks.

"No, we have not attacked your planet."

They all look at each other. “No further questions.” Terrance stands up. Virgil stands with him. The agent that led them there again moves to leave them out, the others regathering to discuss what they’ve learned. The agent leads them back out to the car, and Virgil gets in with relief, finally away from that crowd. He closes his eyes and sighs. The car ride back is silent.

They get out back at the ship. The agent comes over and shakes Terrance’s hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Good luck on your travels.”

"Thank you." Terrance and Virgil get on the ship and fly off. He relaxes. "How was that?"

“Surprising...” Virgil glances at him. “I... didn’t expect that of you.”

"You said to give as little information as possible. The idea of them knowing that we are a few planets away was scary. Not to mention all the other planets that are hiding from Earth. I couldn't rat them out."

“Yeah...” Virgil leans back.

"Did you attack their ships?" Virgil stays silent. Terrance rubs his face. "Virgil, what are you doing?"

“Trying to protect everyone.”

"Yeah, and they thought that we did it."

“Yeah well, now their only space-worthy ship is gone. It’ll take then years to rebuild it.”

"Alright let's get you back to Stellio, and you are taking two weeks off."

“Logan’s still on Earth.”

"Damnit, Virgil!" He shakes his head. "Are the kids here too?"

“Yup.”

Terrance takes a deep breath. "Do they have a way back?"

“Yes.”

"Good because we can't turn back." They leave the atmosphere.

“I know.” Virgil looks out the window, looking tired. He feels like Earth is calling out to him, calling him back. He closes his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Logan rocks a sleeping George. Roman looks at him. "I know he's three, but he sleeps a lot."

"He has physical fatigue." Logan pets George’s head.

“From what?”

"The mayor of Leadership sent a hitman to take me out and kill my kids. Me, Terra and George we're all hit by a car. Multiple bones were broken me and George we're in coma's, and George got brain damage. He had perfect vision before the accident."

Roman pales. “Oh.” He looks down.

"The doctors say that over the years it might get better as his brain continues to grow, it can hopefully fix itself. So, for now, I'm just trying to make sure he is happy."

Roman nods, still looking down. Nemo watches him in silence as if analyzing him. Roman looks up. “What do you want?”

“You’re interesting,” Nemo states and continues staring at him. 

Roman smirks. “Oh yeah?”

“You seem so confident and self-assured, and yet you feel immense insecurity, anxiety, and remorse. You seem happy, yet you are sad. You seem confident, but are insecure. It’s like a tree, the branches and the roots follow a similar system, yet one reaches up, and the other crawls down.”

Roman looks mortified. “I’m not insecure!” Logan chuckles. Roman looks at Logan, almost with betrayal. Nemo frowns. Roman looks back at Nemo. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! You’re- you’re lying! I’m not insecure! I don’t have anxiety! I’m fine!” He stands and races upstairs. Nemo continues watching him go before he can’t see him anymore, then looks at Logan.

"He is not my problem. Also, Insecure people don't like to be called out." 

Nemo nods. “Most of my people are empathetic. Mine is heightened with my element of water. Emotions are much like water I learned to read them. Kind of had to since my dad didn’t give me many ques to how he felt about me.” Nemo shrugs.

"My birth, Dad try to kill me... multiple time."

Nemo looks at him. “I’m- I’m so sorry...”

"Don't be it's not your fault. I was taken away from him when I was 4. I have two loving moms who raised and support me. I have an out of this world boyfriend who is the love of my life and two beautiful boys. In my family, no one is blood-related, and that's ok. Family is the people you choose to surround yourself with. Not the people you’re born into."

Nemo smiles. “That’s a nice way to think of it.”

"Your father is only as important to you as you let him be."

Nemo looks at the photo on the wall that had caught Virgil’s attention. “That choice can be made dead or alive... it’s more painful dead.”

"Sometimes, you need to let go of a bad relationship."

“Or maybe I’m being dramatic.” Nemo frowns.

"That is your choice to make, but when it comes to a relationship, you need to talk to him to find out." 

Nemo nods. “You guys are all so wise.” He comments.

"My mother taught me that." Logan smiles 

Patton comes through the door with a crying Terra. "Papa!" Terra runs over Logan looks at him. Terra is covered in dirt and mud.

"Terra, what happened?" 

Terra curls in his lap. "Terrians are so mean." 

Logan looks at Patton. "I took him to the park. There is this great one that allows dogs. He just feels so bored in the house." Patton argued.

"To the point Patton." 

"I got distracted by a dog, and Terra was having some trouble with the other boys at the park." Patton frowns.

“Oh, no...” Nemo frowns. 

Terra holds onto Logan and sniffles. "They laughed at me and called me a girl and a sissy. What's a sissy?"

"I don't know but don't listen to them." Logan pets his hair not caring about the mud.

"Why does everyone hate me?"

“They don’t hate you. They are insecure in themselves, so they take it out on others in the form of bullying.” Nemo offers.

"They are mean." Terra looks at Logan scared. "Are they going to kill me?" 

"No! They're not going to kill you." 

"What about selling me? I don't want to go in a cage again Papa." 

“They won’t,” Nemo assures.  _ ‘Virgil, why did you have to go?’ _

George starts to whine. "Oh, dear." Logan starts rocking his two kids. "Everything is going to be ok. No one is going to hurt you." 

"I want Daddy." 

Patton frowns deeper. "I'm sorry Logan I should have pay closer attention." 

Nemo picks up Terra. “Hey. So yeah, those kids were mean. That just shows their character. You are who you choose to be. You have two wonderful dads, one of which is here for you, the other out there working to protect you and make the universe a safer place for you.” He boops Terra’s nose. “You are very brave.”

"Really?" Terra rubs his eyes. 

Nemo nods. “Really. Virgil must be so proud of you.” Terra smiles and hugs Nemo tight. Logan smiles as George calms down Nemo, rubs his back. “Now let’s get you clean up.” Nemo takes Terra upstairs.

...

"Are you sure you don't want to wait for Virgil?" Patton asks

Logan shakes his head. "I've waited long enough. I will take my chance that he is heading back to Stellio. Thank you for having us." 

"It was our pleasure. Will you be coming to our wedding?"

Logan frowns "Now that Earth is getting more advanced. I don't think we can make any more trips."

Patton frowns "Why?" 

"Just to protect you and your people." 

"So this is the last you will see of us?"

"I'm afraid so." Logan frowns

Patton hugs him. "I'm going to miss you, Logan." 

Logan hugs him back. "I'm sorry you couldn't say goodbye to Virgil." 

"It's ok." Patton looks at the picture on the wall. He goes over and takes it off. "Here, for Virgil." 

"Oh, Patton, are you sure?"

"I have hundreds of pictures of Virgil and me. I can live without it. It means more to Virgil anyway." Logan nods and puts it in his bag. "Sorry Roman couldn't see you out, but he had practice."

"It's understandable." 

Patton looks at Nemo who is now disguised as a white American. "Remember what we talked about." 

Nemo smiles, "I will." Patton and Nemo hug. 

Patton looks at Terra and George. "Come here, kiddos." He hugs them. "Stay out of trouble."

"Ok, Uncle Patty." Patton kisses their heads. Patton let's go and steps back. "Have a safe trip back." 

"We will thank you again, Patton."

"Stop thanking me and go!" Patton giggles

Logan chuckles "Ok, let's go." They head out.

...

"What are we doing in an open field?" Nemo asks

"One, we need to be away from the apartment building so they can't connect us to Patton and Roman and two, we can't leave a print of us here." Logan puts the ship down then watches it grow. "Quickly get on." They rush in, and Logan puts on cloaking. "Ok, now let's go." They managed to leave Earth safely. 

"Can I take this off now?" Nemo points at the watch.

"Yes, you are fine." Nemo takes it off and relaxes. Terra and George start petting his wings Nemo purrs and closes his eyes. Terra giggles and continues to pet him. Logan looks over. "Terra leave Nemo alone."

Terra looks down and stops petting Nemo. "Sorry, Papa."

Nemo opens his eyes. “It’s okay.”

"You sure?" Logan asks

Nemo nods. “It’s... nice.” Terra smiles and continues. Nemo melts and lays down.

Terra giggles. "You're silly." George uses his wing as a pillow. Nemo hums and closes his eyes.

"We need to stop by Stellio for energy. Then I will take you anywhere you want."

Nemo frowns a bit and sits up. He looks at the floor in thought. “I know I need to go back, but... I don’t know if I’m ready yet.”

"Then go back when you are." Nemo nods.

Terra hugs Nemo. "You can join our family."

Nemo smiles at him. “I’ll think about it.”

Terra squeezes him. "Papa, can he be part of the family?"

"Only if he wants to," Logan smirks.

George crawls into Nemo’s lap. Nemo smiles down at him and pets his head. He sighs. “I have a duty to fulfill, but...”

Logan puts the ship on autopilot. He goes over the Nemo and looks him in the eye. "When you are ready." Nemo looks up at him then looks down. Logan sighs and picks up George. "I'm going to go put him down for his nap." Logan heads to the bed area. Nemo lays his head back and closes his eyes. 


	11. Chapter 11

They get back to Stellio, Nemo choosing to stay with them for a while. They go back to the house and find it empty. Logan frowns. Terra looks around. ** "Where's Daddy?"**

"I'm sure he's around. Go unpack your bags, and I'll call him." Terra nods and goes upstairs. Logan calls Virgil he hears the phone ring in their room. He goes there and finds Virgil on the floor, shaking and semi-conscious. Logan rushes over to him. "Virgil?" Logan shakes him. Virgil doesn’t respond, seeming to be in a half-dream state and mumbling. "Virgil." Virgil still doesn’t answer; he stares at a spot, eyes distant. Logan holds him. Nemo passes by and stops he looks in and hesitantly knocks. "Come in."

Nemo comes over and kneels. He gingerly takes Virgil’s hand and frowns. “He’s almost in a stasis... he didn’t stop using his powers. He’s stuck between the present and where ever it is that he’s connected to.”

"How do we stop it?"

Nemo places his hand on Virgil’s head. “Reset.” Virgil’s eyes shut, and he goes limp.

Logan pets his head. "This will work?"

“I don’t know... my dad warned me about using my powers too much and I heard horror stories of what would happen. Some say the people dissolve into their element. Others say they simply have a long, painful death. But I’ve never seen a case for myself.” Logan stares at Nemo. In the distance, George starts crying.

Nemo frowns. “I’m sure that won’t happen. From what I’ve heard of him, he’s strong.”

Terra runs in. ** "Daddy is dying!?"**

Nemo looks at him. “No, he’s not. He just really needs to rest.” 

Logan gets up. "I need a minute to compose myself." He walks out of the door. George still crying. "Nemo please calm George down." He calls out, then the front door closes. Nemo looks around between Virgil and Terra he picks up Virgil and lays him on the bed. He takes Terra’s hand and goes to George’s room.

George is sobbing loudly, and his bed is a mess.  **"Don't mind the oil; it's not dangerous."**

Nemo nods and tries to pick up George, but he’s slippery. He sighs and lays him back down, touching his head. George quickly falls asleep. “I don’t want to do that every time he gets upset. I’m pulling water away from his mind, lowing his blood pressure suddenly and causing him to faint. It’s not good for him...”

**"Why are you hurting him?" ** Terra frowns

“I don’t want to. I want to calm him down, but there has to be a better way.” Nemo starts cleaning the bed, frowning deeply. _ ‘I’ve upset Logan, and he left me with two Terrorlings I hardly know how to care for, Virgil is almost gone, and now I can’t watch my mouth to keep Terra calm. If I can’t handle this, how am I supposed to rule a planet?’ _ He takes a deep breath and calms himself.

**"I'm calling Aunt Emile."** Terra walks out of the room. Nemo's shoulders drop a bit. He goes back to Virgil’s room and waits.

...

Emile goes into the room no longer disguised as a Stellio.  **"Hello, I'm Emile."**

Nemo looks up. “Oh. Hi.” He looks back at Virgil worriedly.

**"Virgil never seems to stop getting in trouble."** She goes over and pets his head.  **"What happened this time? Terra says he's dying?"**

“I don’t know.” Nemo holds his hand. “He can’t stop using his powers. He keeps getting caught in a dream state where he’s connected to a certain planet.”

**"I'll call Ava. She's a nature one too.** **Maybe she has some ideas."** She looks at Nemo. **"Ok, what's eating you?"**

Nemo looks at her. “Nothing.”

**"I'm a therapist, and you are a bad liar."**

Nemo bites his lip. “It’s nothing.”

Emile doesn't look impressed.  **"Ok if you say so. Where is Logan?"**

“Said he needed to compose himself.”

Emile nods  **"Ah of course, and what is Terra saying about you hurting George?"**

“I keep putting him out to calm him down. Logan asked me to do it, and I don’t know a better way, but it’s not good long term.” Nemo raises his hand and water from a glass floats over and swirls around above his twirling fingers.

**"So what did you do?"**

“Drew water away from his brain, causing a drop in blood pressure and making him faint.” Emile's eyes widen, and she slaps him. Nemo winces, and his wings spring forward in a defensive shield around himself. “I don’t know what to do!”

**"He's three years old with brain damage and you... You."** Emile groans.

Nemo’s wings tighten. “I’m sorry!”  _ ‘You can’t do anything right.’ _

Emile sighs  **"Sorry I snapped. Look George has heightened emotions, and being a Terrorling, he can sense fear. All you need to do was stay calm and comfort him."**

“I-“ Nemo hides in his wings.

**"I'm going to call Ava to go look at Virgil. And for the future don't dehydrate people's brains so they will faint."** Emile walks out of the room.

Nemo closes his eyes. He feels his failures rising like the sea, ready to sweep over him. He’s tired of rebuilding the dam, holding them back. He’s not a prince. He’s not worthy of the crown. He knew what he was doing wasn’t good, but he didn’t say anything. Why? Because it got results. _ ‘That’s all people care about is results. No. That’s not true.’ _ Nemo looks at Virgil.  _ ‘I... I should go.’ _ He sighs. _ ‘I’m running away again, aren’t I?’ _ He stands. _ ‘No one will stop me. No one will care...’ _ he stands there for a long time, staring at the floor. He looks back at Virgil.  _ ‘I’m not welcome here.’ _

Emile comes back a minute later.  **"Ok, Ava will be here soon." ** She looks around.  **"Where did he go?"**

...

Logan sits on a bench looking at the stars. He replays what Nemo told him. The many ways he can lose Virgil.  _ 'Have I given him too much freedom? I thought I was just supporting him, having his back but he's overworking himself and I let him. I am a terrible boyfriend.' _ Logan rubs his face.

A Stellio of Nurture sits next to him. “Beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” He looks up at the stars.

"Indeed."

“What’s troubling you son?”

"My boyfriend used his powers so much that it's going to kill him."

The old man nods. “And it scares you?”

"How could it not? I'm terrified." Logan looks completely normal.

The man raises a brow at him and looks back out. “You aren’t accustomed to dealing with strong bouts of emotion, are you?”

"I handle my emotions well." Logan defends

The man doesn’t comment. “Have you had a chance to share your concerns with your boyfriend?”

"No, I can't talk to him he's stuck in this weird state where he's connected to a planet or something."

“His element is nature?”

"Yes."

The man looks thoughtful. “My daughter’s element was nature. Stubborn girl. Thought she knew best. Her powers made things easier, so she kept using them, but they take their toll when you aren’t trained. There’s a difference between using your element and becoming it. To use your element effectively, the energy flow is a cycle. You must feed it, and your element must feed you. If you are not connected, your only power source is yourself. My daughter always bragged about how she was never tired, and then one day collapsed into stasis. It took her almost two weeks to wake.”

Logan goes in a thinking state. "Virgil always pushes himself. Nothing can stop him. Not even me. Now I might lose him."

The man looks at him gently. “Talk to him. Help him understand. Get him guidance.”

"How? He won't listen, and I can't help. I don't know how and I hate not knowing." The wind picks up, but Logan still looks calm.

The man looks around them. “You are a man of Knowledge, are you not?”

"Yes. I'm actually the mayor."

“I know.” The man smirks. “Gain knowledge for yourself and try a different approach in presenting that knowledge to him. Don’t just tell him to stop, tell him why. SHOW him why.”

"That sounds dangerous."

"That sounds dangerous."

The man shakes his head. “Don’t show in the present, show in the past. Find examples of others and compare them to his experiences. Remember, he must become in tune with his element.”

Logan nods "Thank you."

“Of course.” He offers a handshake. Logan takes it. “Nico.” The man smiles, warmly.

"I've heard of you. Terrance mention you once. You protected Virgil from the T.P.O."

Nico shrugs. “I did what I could.”

"Well, thank you. I am forever grateful." Logan smiles.

“Just doing what I can.” Nico smiles back.

“Good luck.”

Logan nods his phone rings, and he answers it. "Hello? Emile?... what." The wind picks up again. "When? Ok, I'll look around. Ok, thank you. Goodbye." Logan hangs up and stands up. "I got to go."

Nico stands as well. “Anything I can do?”

"Yeah, can you help me find my son?"


	12. Chapter 12

Nemo walks through the forest, wishing he could enjoy it more. He’s not taking a ship off the planet, that would be stealing, but he needs to find another place to stay. He hears a branch snap and spins around. Terra waves. ** "Hi."**

Nemo sighs. “You followed me.”

Terra nods  **"You seem sad. I didn't want you to be sad and alone. I know how that feels." ** Nemo looks down. Terra goes closer and holds his hand. ** "Where are we going?"**

“I don’t know.” Nemo continues walking. He looks at Terra. “I’m sorry for hurting George.”

**"You were just trying to help. I tried to protect George once, but I got turn into a monster instead.”**

Nemo frowns. “I’m sorry.”

**"Papa says not to get stuck in the past. He says that you need to learn from your mistakes so you can do better in the future." **

Nemo nods. “He sounds like a wise man.”

**"Papa is really smart. He's super smart."**

Nemo chuckles then stops. “Did... did you tell anyone you were going?”

**"Aunt Em was on the phone. Mommy told me never to interrupt someone who is having a conversation."**

“So no one knows you came with me?”

**"Nope."**

Nemo pales and turns around. “We need to go back.”

Terra frowns  **"Why?"**

“No one knows where you are.” Nemo picks Terra up. “Are you scared of heights?”

**"No, why?" ** Terra gasps as his eyes go wide.  **"Are we going flying?"**

“Yes. Hold on.” Nemo takes off into the air. Terra screams as if he was on a rollercoaster and smiles. Nemo smiles down at him and continues flying. He makes a barrel roll.

Terra laughs happily.  **"This is the best day of my life!" ** Nemo sees the house and dives down. He slows his descent and sets Terra down before landing. ** "Again! Again!"** Terra claps

Nemo smiles softly. “We need to get you back right now. Maybe later.” He takes Terra’s hand and goes to the door and knocks. Ava opens it.

**"Hi, grandma." ** Terra waves,  **"I went flying."**

“You what!?” Ava looks at Nemo. “Who are you?” She takes Terra inside. 

“Nemo. I’ll leave now.” Nemo takes off before Ava can get another word in. 

Ava sighs and kneels to Terra. “Terra, sweetheart. We don’t run off with strangers.”

**"He's not a stranger. That's Nemo we found him on Earth. Daddy rescued him."**

“Still, please tell someone before you leave. We’ve been worried sick!” She hugs him.

**"I'm sorry, Grandma." ** Terra hugs her back.

Ava rubs his back. “It’s okay. Just don’t do it again please.” She pulls out her phone and calls Logan. “He’s back home. He was with Nemo.”

"I'm on my way." Logan looks at Nico. "He's home now."

Nico nods. “Then I believe it’s time for me to depart. Nurture your future.”

"Let knowledge be your guide." Logan heads back home. 

...

Logan closes the door to his house. "Mother, where's Terra?"

“He’s in bed now.” Ava sips her tea. Logan relaxes and sits on the couch. “A Syrni, Nemo, I believe, brought him back. What in the stars is a Syrni doing here?”

"Ran away from home got captured on Earth. Virgil finds and frees him, and we brought him here."

“Oh.”

"How is Virgil?"

“He was awaked for a little bit then fell back asleep. He seems exhausted.” Ava frowns. “I don’t think it’s serious, but he desperately needs to stop.”

"I know." Logan frowns

Ava looks over and stands. She sits next to him and hugs him. “He’ll be okay.”

"I don't believe you." Ava frowns looking at Logan he has that "I'm going to pretend that I don't have feelings." Vibe.

Ava cups his face. “Sweetie...”

Logan stands up. "I'm going to bed." 

“Ok, sweetie...” Ava watches him go sadly. Logan goes to his room and crawls into bed. He holds Virgil tightly and closes his eyes. 

...

A young Aquarius is crying, a gust of wind blowing harshly. Quentin walks up to him and holds him. "Aquarius calm down." 

"I can't," he cries. 

Quentin looks him in the eye. "Listen to me. You need to calm down. Now breathe its ok." 

Aquarius takes deep breaths. "Good you're doing great." The winds calm down. Quentin smiles. "Ok now lets work on keeping that from happening." 

Aquarius nods "Ok." 

"Your abilities are connected to your emotions. You're negative emotions. So here is what you're going to do. Never let them out." 

"What?"

"If you express your feelings, you will lose control, and that will be bad. So never let anything get to you. Don't get upset or scared or angry." 

"Can I be happy?"

"Your abilities are connected to your emotions. You're negative emotions. So here is what you're going to do. Never let them out." 

"What?"

"If you express your feelings, you will lose control, and that will be bad. So never let anything get to you. Don't get upset or scared or angry." 

"Can I be happy?"

"Postive emotions seem to be fine, so yes." 

Aquarius smiles he hugs Quentin. "You're so smart and wise." Quentin chuckles

"Of course, knowledge is power." 

"and is our greatest weapon." 

Quentin smiles "That's my boy. Now come along its time for your next lesson." Quentin holds Aquarius’s hand as they go inside.

...

Nemo wraps his wings tightly around himself. He finds a spot in the forest that’s softened by fallen leaves. He lays down and sighs, curling up in his wings. It’s different than the plush pillows and cloud-like beds he had at home, but it’s not foreign given his time on Earth. It’s actually more comfortable in all reality, at least for him. He’s free. Physically. Mentally, that is a different game, another battle, and another struggle.  _ ‘I deserve this.’ _ He closes his eyes and tries to sleep. Though the air is comfortable and the forest quiet, his mind is louder than anything outside could be.  _ ‘I’m no prince.’ _

...

Virgil groggily opens his eyes. He feels Logan beside him and wonders when he got back. Logan nuzzles him in his sleep Virgil kisses his head. Logan blinks waking up from his shallow sleep. His worry of Virgil kept him from sleeping well that night. Virgil cups his face. “Hey.” He offers a smile. Logan holds him tight burring his face into Virgil's chest, feeling his heartbeat. Virgil holds him and massages his neck. “What’s wrong?”

"Shut up." 

Virgil winces. “Logan?”

"Just let me hold you." Virgil stays silent, but he seems worried. Logan physically relaxes and just enjoys having Virgil hold him even if he is concerned about his behavior. After a while, Virgil’s stomach growls, and he smiles sheepishly. Logan takes a deep breath. "Ok, let's get breakfast." Logan gets up and heads out the door. Virgil gets up and slowly follows after him, walking into a wall. He blinks and frowns, trying again and going downstairs.

He finds Logan frozen in place. The kitchen is a mess Terra, and George covered in different breakfast food that also included everything else in the kitchen. Terra giggles  **"Aww, it was supposed to be a surprise."** George claps his hands in the puddle of milk. 

Logan's eye twitches "Oh, believe me, this is a surprise." Terra is blissfully unaware of Logan's tone.

Virgil smirks and shakes his head. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.” He picks up George and carries him upstairs. “Come on, Terra!” 

Terra runs over and follows Virgil. Logan stares at the mess. He takes a deep breath. "Everything is fine. It's just a small mess and the destruction of our week's supply of breakfast food." Logan tenses. "Nope, nope not doing this." He closes his eyes and takes a deeper breath. "I am not losing control. They're just kids; they don't know better. Ok." Logan opens his eyes. "Virgil I'm getting our coffee." Logan leaves without waiting for an answer.

After a while, Virgil comes back downstairs with a clean George and Terra. “Okay, you two go watch some TV while I fix us breakfast.”

**"OK! You sure you don't want us to help?" ** he giggles.

“Nah. Go sit.” Virgil shoos them off.

Terra giggles and goes to the couch.  **"I went flying yesterday." **

Virgil blinks. “What?” He looks around. “Wait- Where’s Nemo?”

**"He left last night. He was sad, so I follow him to keep him company. Grandma didn't like that." **

Virgil frowns. “Do you know where he went?”

**"Nope." **

Virgil works on cleaning the kitchen and thinks. “Do you know what he was sad about?”

**"Aunt Em slap him last night." **

Virgil’s head snaps up, and he frowns deeper “For what?”

**"Nemo used his powers to put George to sleep because he was crying. Aunt Em didn't like that."**

“Oh.”

**"But George is fine, see?" ** Terra holds George who does a raspberry.

Virgil smiles. “Yeah.”

**"Papa was scared. You wouldn't wake up. Nemo said you could have died."**

Virgil bites his lip. “But I’m fine.”

**"I know. Nothing stops Daddy." ** Virgil smirks and finishes cleaning. He gets to work cooking. 


	13. Chapter 13

Nemo wakes up and stretches. He shivers a bit from the cold morning air but rejoices that the sun has risen and he made it through the night. His stomach burns, but it’s a usual pain, almost comforting though maybe it shouldn’t be. He stands and stretches his wings before taking off into the air. He flies to the city and lands, looking around. He sees a place called Morning Starters and shrugs, heading in. "Wow welcome," Remy smirks at him.

Nemo looks around curiously. “Thank you.”

"What can I get you, babe?" A few people try hard not to stare.

Nemo tilts his head. “Babe?”

"He calls everyone that." Nemo turns to find Logan.

“Oh. Hi...”

"So you want anything hot stuff?" Remy asks 

Logan rolls his eyes. "Ignore him he's the biggest flirt on the planet, but he makes good coffee." Logan sips his cup.

Nemo turns to him. “Something creamy?”

Remy nods "Coming up." Remy goes to the back. 

"Thank you for finding Terra."

“I... he followed me. I didn’t know he did, I’m sorry, I turned back as soon as he told me no one knew and-“

"Calm down, it's fine. As long as no one got hurt." Nemo bites his lip and nods. "You want to sit down?"

“Uh- sure.” Logan raises a brow as Nemo remains standing. Nemo awkwardly sits down, ignoring the scolding voice in his mind.

Remy comes and sets down his drink. "Enjoy." Remy winks and walks away. 

Logan shakes his head. "I will never understand what Emile sees in that guy." Nemo takes his coffee and sips it. He smiles and hums. "Told you he makes good coffee." Nemo nods. "I thought since you don't think you're ready to go home yet, would you mind going to Terror to help rebuild? It would mean a lot to everyone, and I think they can use someone of your talents."

Nemo thinks it over. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Logan smiles, "Excellent, let's go."

Nemo looks up. “Right now?”

"Why not?" Logan stands up. "Got nothing better to do."

Nemo bites his cheek. “Ow.” He mumbles and stops. The fire in his stomach lurches at the idea of not being tamed.  _ ‘It’s fine. I don’t need to eat.’ _ “Okay.”

Logan goes to Remy. "Two bagels please."

Remy gives him a bag. "Are you going to tell Virgil you're leaving? Terror is a 2-day trip." 

Logan takes the bag. "I'll text him." He goes to Nemo, “Ok, let's go."

Nemo follows him, frowning a bit.  _ ‘Does he normally just leave...? What do I do? Does he just want me off his planet?’ _ He frowns deeper. _ ‘Yeah... probably...’ _

They get to the ship. "Ok thank you again for volunteering I think you can help out a lot on Terror."

“Yeah. Sure.” They head out.

...

Virgil and the kids are at home. Virgil taps his foot, getting anxious that Logan isn't back yet. His phone buzzes. He quickly looks at it. 'Nemo has decided to help out on Terror, so I'm taking him there.'

Virgil blinks a few times before texting back. ‘Okay... are you gonna stop by and say goodbye?’

'Already in space.'

‘Oh’

'I will be back in 2 days. Watch the kids and relax.’

‘Are you okay?’ Logan doesn't respond. ‘Logan?’ Virgil sighs and sets his phone on the counter, looking at the eating kids.

**“When’s Papa gonna be home?”** Terra asks.

“Nemo said he’d help on Terror, so Papa’s dropping him off,” Virgil says and comes over. “He’ll be back in two days.”

**"Ok."** Terra smiles George giggles and claps. Virgil forces a smile and eats.

...

Logan and Nemo make it to Terror. Logan leads him to Captain Terrance. "Good afternoon, Captain."

Terrance turns to them. “Afternoon mayor. And you are?” He offers his hand to Nemo who shakes it.

“Nemo.”

"Nemo here wants to help. I believe you will find him extremely helpful."

Terrance looks him over, and Nemo’s heart leaps into his throat.  _ ‘Why did I come here. He’s gonna think I’m too weak or I can’t do it or-‘ _

“Okay.” Terrance smiles.

“Okay?” Nemo sounds surprised, earning a confused look from Terrance.

“Yes?”

Logan looks between them. "Anyway, I see you have made a lot of progress since the last time I was here."

Terrance nods. “Virgil’s been a huge help. I just wish he would rest.” He sighs.

“He needs guidance. He’s been taught how to use his powers, but not how to take care of them and himself in using them.” Nemo speaks then regrets opening his mouth.

"I found someone back home who might be able to help, but yes resting isn't a thing Virgil does."

Terrance nods. “Okay. Well, let’s get you aquatinted, Nemo.”

Logan looks around. "Actually Captain, I'm in no rush if you need an extra hand for the day."

Nemo looks at him with a questioning look. “Oh, thank you!” Terrance smiles.

"Of course." Logan follows Terrance.

“What are your strong suits?” Terrance looks at Nemo.

“My element is water.” Nemo offers.

Terrance nods. “We need help setting up a clean water source for the rebuilt village. Logan, would you go with the geologists and look at a concerning spot Virgil found?”

"Of course." Logan heads out.

“Nemo you can come with me.” Terrance leads him to the crew. Nemo stays silent, almost overwhelmed. “Everyone, this is Nemo. He will be helping with the water system.” They look at Nemo with interest. He forces himself to resist hiding in his wings.

They nod in acknowledgment. One worker, a little shorter than everyone else comes up. She is a person of nurture with freckles across her face and short curly orange hair. She smiles big and blushes a little. "Hello, I'm Patty."

Nemo smiles at her. “Nemo. It’s g-nice to meet you.” He stumbles over his words.

"I love your wings there beautiful like your face. Wait." She blushes darker in embarrass.

Nemo blushes as well.

Terrance chuckles "Eyes on the prize, Patty."

Patty snaps out of it. "Oh, yes, right. Come on I'll get you set up." She grabs his hand before

quickly letting go. "Oops sorry."

“N-No it’s okay.” Nemo puts his free hand in his pocket and fidgets with a string that’s coming loose.

"Have fun you two." Terrance walks away. Patty takes a deep breath. "This way, my feather friend." Patty leads him to the river. Nemo smirks momentarily and follows her. "As you can see, the river is very polluted. We have been trying for weeks to get it clean." Nemo looks at the river. It is full of black oil and some trash. "Trash is the easy part, but this oil is a pain."

“Do you have a place to store the clean water?”

“Yeah. We just put up a watershed over there.” Nemo looks at it. “Why?”

“Give me a moment.” Nemo kneels and holds his hands out in front of him. The water rises and floats in a twirling tunnel to the watershed Patty watches in awe. Nemo closes his eyes and focuses. He can feel the water’s movement, it being a part of him. He raises with it. It is him. After a few minutes, the watershed is full. Nemo stops and pants.

Patty jumps in place. "Oh, my stars Nemo! You’re a genius! That was amazing." She hugs him. "Thank you so much." Nemo falls over from the sudden weight. He laughs tiredly and closes his eyes. Patty laughs, "Sorry, I got excited." She blushes and gets sits up.

Nemo continues to lay there. “The grass is comfortable,” he mumbles and smiles before frowning.  _ ‘They’re gonna think I’m lazy or slacking. But I’m hungry- no, I’m not.’ _ He rolls over and sits up.

Patty continues to smile at him. "With your help, we can fix the water supply in a week or two. Oh, this is exciting." She claps her hands and bounces on her legs.

Nemo blushes. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Patty takes his hand and helps him up. "Come on this calls for a victory lunch break which is a normal lunch break for special!" She giggles. Nemo laughs and tries to keep up.


	14. Chapter 14

Logan looks over the data the geologist gave him. It shows areas where the plants are dead from poisoning. “There seems to be an oil deposit below this area.” One says.

"Terrorling oil?"

“Maybe. We have yet to collect a sample.”

"Let's set a team to go check. I hypothesize that the T.P.O. dump the oil in this area. They had a lot of it." The geologist nods and calls out orders.

"Do we have anyone on staff who can bend water?" Logan asks, thinking.

The geologist raises a brow. “Bend water...?”

"You know someone who can control and manipulate it?"

“No.”

"I have a guy; I believe he can pull the oil out. That way, we don't have to make a bigger hole for buckets."

“Okay.”

"Alright, do you need anything else?"

“Not that I can think of.”

"Ok." He sounds a little disappointed he hands the reports back. "Let me know when you get the results on the type of oil."

“Will do.” Logan heads out.

...

It’s been three days since they got to Terror and Logan still hasn’t left. Nemo cautiously approaches him, though he’s certain Logan already knows he’s there.

"Oh, Nemo how is oil removal coming?"

“It’s not. I can’t move oil, only water.” Nemo sits down. The voice in his mind has gotten quieter since Patty came around, but there’s still sometimes it tries to come up, like any time he feels inadequate.

"Hmm, I will have to think of a plan B." Logan writes in his notebook.

Nemo nods and traces the cracks on the bench. “It’s been three days.”

"And?" Logan doesn't lookup.

“You told Virgil you’d be back in two.”

"Well plans change. My input is needed here."

“You’re the mayor of KNOWLEDGE, not Terror.”

Logan stops writing and sighs heavily. "I know."

Nemo glances at him. “You’re... avoiding him. You’re avoiding the emotions attached to him. You’re scared because of what I said...”

"Nemo don't. It's not your concern."

“Yes, it is.”

"Nemo." Logan sighs and rubs his face. "Yes, I'm avoiding him." Nemo nods. Logan stands up. "Good talk now I have work to do."

Nemo stands and grabs his hand. “No. You are getting on a ship and going  _ home _ .“ His tone becomes dominant.

Logan looks down. The wind picks up. "I can't, now please let go."

“Yes, you can, and you will.”

Logan pulls his arm out. "I can't. Now drop it."

“Logan-“

Logan's heart picks up in pace, and he takes a deep breath. "I'm not ready to face him, ok."

Nemo frowns.  _ ‘Stop. Nemo-‘ _ “But Virgil-“

"Will do what he wants." Nemo closes his eyes and lets Logan go. He feels someone come up behind him.

Patty hugs him. "How’s my Angelfish?" She giggles.

Nemo stays silent.  _ ‘I need to tells her.’  _ He sighs.  _ ‘Too many things to do.’ _ He turns and sees a ship landing. He tilts his head and jogs over, seeing Terrance awaiting it with a disappointed look.

They watch Virgil come off. "Officer Virgil-"

“Save it.” Virgil walk/stumbles. “Where’s Logan?”

"He's working I told you everything is fine."

“YOU DON’T KNOW HIM!” Virgil screams at Terrance’s face, and Nemo winces, Patty by his side.

Patty hides behind Nemo. "Virgil calm down."

Virgil looks and sees Nemo. He goes towards him. “Where’s Logan!?”

“He’s still working.” Nemo’s wings move into a shield for Patty.

"Virgil-" Terrance tries.

“ENOUGH!” Virgil points at him and walks off. Terrance frowns and storms off Virgil finds Logan and walks up to him. “Logan.”

Logan freezes and flinches. He turns around. "Virgil, what are you doing here?"

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here!? You said you were coming back!”

"Plans change, my input was needed in the removal of oil in the soil.”

“LOGAN! You’re needed on Stellio not here!” Virgil sounds desperate. “I need you! The kids need you!”

The wind picks up again. "I-" Logan doesn't know what to say. His mind goes blank; he wasn’t prepared to speak with Virgil. He has had time to order his thoughts and feelings. "I can't."

“Why not!?” Passion pleas echo in Virgil’s tone.

"I just can't." Logan moves and tries to escape.

Virgil takes Logan’s hand. “Lo-“

Logan closes his eyes. "Let go." His voice is deep as he tries to keep it together. His emotions rise in him, but he stuffs it down. He won't lose control. Not here.

Virgil frowns. “Lo... please talk to me-“ Tears threaten to leave his eyes as his heart crushes itself. The wind picks up harder. Virgil looks around them, eyes showing confusion for a moment before looking back at Logan and it clicks. He tries to hug him.

Logan moves away. He holds himself. "Leave me alone. Go home, Virgil."

“Not without you...” Virgil speaks gentler.

Logan tenses, "I said LEAVE!" Logan flinches at his volume. He looks at Virgil. Virgil looks shocked, frozen for a moment. Logan gets stuck in Virgil's shock expression. He can't hear him.  _ 'I yelled, I yelled at him, I'm losing control.' _ The wind quickly spins around Logan. He covers his mouth as a broken sob breaks out.

Virgil reaches for him. “Lo-“ Logan’s heartbeat increases and his ears ring. Tears fall down his face, and he curses at himself for breaking down. Logan screams, and a tornado surrounds him. Virgil backs away in time to not get sucked up and thrown by it. He can't see or hear Logan anymore. “LOGAN!?” Virgil sounds panicked.

Logan covers his ears; he can't take the emotions anymore. The stress, the fear. Everything is too much he falls to his knees as he sobs. More tornadoes start to appear. An alarm goes off. "Everyone, please come inside this is not a drill."

Virgil tries to reach Logan, but he feels himself be picked up and lifted off the ground. He screams and thrashes in Nemo’s arms. “PUT ME DOWN!”

"We need to get to safety!" Nemo fights against a tornado, flapping as hard as he can. He grunts.  _ ‘I can’t fight it. I have to use the momentum.’ _ He turns and flies into the tornado, using it to slingshot him away. He lands by the base, only for Virgil to rip away from him. “VIRGIL!”

Virgil keeps running. “LOGA-“ he gets grabbed from the ground again, and Nemo flies into the base, tossing him in as gently as he can before taking off for Logan. He nears him and tries to get close, but the wind is too strong.

_ ‘I don’t want to hurt him... but if I don’t stop him-‘ _ he looks around at all the tornadoes appearing.  _ ‘I have to.’ _

Logan pulls at his hair. "I can't stop. I've ruined everything." He screams at Nemo.

“NO, YOU HAVEN’T!” Nemo flaps around, trying to get closer before diving in. The wind tosses him around, and he does everything in his power to stay upright. He slowly eases his way closer, slingshotting himself back and forth.

Logan looks up to see Nemo stuck in the tornado. "NEMO!" The tornado tries to throw him out. Nemo swoops up and dives in through the middle, staying in. "GO AWAY! YOUR GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Logan screams,  _ 'No, no, no, this can't be happening. Quentin, I failed.' _ Logan's eyes widen at that thought. He screams.

Logan looks up to see Nemo stuck in the tornado. "NEMO!" The tornado tries to throw him out. Nemo swoops up and dives in through the middle, staying in. "GO AWAY! YOUR GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Logan screams,  _ 'No, no, no, this can't be happening. Quentin, I failed.' _ Logan's eyes widen at that thought. He screams.

Nemo tries to reach for him and barely misses. He clenches his jaw.  _ ‘I can’t fail.’ _ He waits for the next time he comes around and throws himself at Logan, flapping wildly. He lands on top of Logan and shields him from the wind with his wings. “FOCUS ON ME!” He shouts over the howling winds.

"I CAN'T. I'M SORRY."

Nemo cups his face. “LOOK AT ME. IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY!”

"NO, IT WON'T. I CAN'T STOP. NEMO KNOCK ME OUT." Logan begs. His face wet from his flowing tears. Nemo squeezes his eyes shut and reaches his hand to Logan’s head. Logan closes his eyes. He repeats, "I'm sorry." Over and over in broken sobs.

“You don’t have to be sorry. You have emotions, and it’s okay. I’ll help you when you wake up.” Nemo whispers into his ear before knocking him out. Logan goes limp and falls into Nemo. The Tornados all disappear.

Nemo holds him close and rocks him a moment before standing up and carrying Logan to the base. When he gets there, Virgil breaks free from the other officers holding him back and races towards them. “LOGAN!”

Patty goes over to Nemo. "Are you ok? Is he ok?"

“I’m fine-“ Virgil tries to take Logan from Nemo who sends his wing out to divide them.

“What are you doing!? Let him go!” Virgil tries to get around his wing.

“Virgil. It’s time for you to go.” 

“YOU DONT KNOW HIM!”

“He’s scared of losing you! You pushed him too far to come back, and he’s not ready!”

“AND WHO’S FAULT IS THAT!?”

“I don’t know!”

Terrance comes over. "That is enough! Yelling isn't going to solve anything. I'm with Virgil; Logan just causes a lot of damage. We can't have him here if he isn't emotionally stable."

Nemo keeps his wings around him. “I’m taking him to my planet.”

“YOU ARE NOT!” Virgil takes a step forward, and Nemo braces himself.

"Virgil stand down. Let's hear him out." Terrance looks at him. "Why do you want to take him to your planet?"

“His triggers are Virgil and Stellio. He wanted to be here to avoid them.” Nemo explains while Virgil crosses his arms.

Terrance nods "Ok, I don't know what happened between you two." He points at Virgil and Logan. "But just take it off Terror." Logan groans Virgil glares at Nemo with predator-like eyes and Nemo remains tense. Logan rolls into Nemo in his half-sleep state and nuzzles Nemo.

Virgil offers to growl. Nemo goes to Terrance. “I need a ship.”

"Take mine, but after You drop Logan off, you come back here. You have been quite the help around here."

“No. I need to stay with him. I’m sorry.”

Patty frowns "Why?"

“Because-“

“He has unfinished business with his dad.” Virgil mumbles.

Patty looks down. "Oh, ok. Just come back soon." Patty quickly leaves.

Terrance sighs "Don't mind her; she just emotional." Terrance looks back at her as Patty leaves the building. 

Nemo bites his lip. “I... nevermind.” He looks down before looking to Terrance. “Where’s your ship?” Terrance pulls a tiny ship out of his pocket.

"Once you're done with your business, please come back if you can or at least make sure I get my ship back." he hands it to Nemo. "Virgil will accompany you."

Nemo glances at Virgil who almost smirks. “Okay.”

"Trust me, you wouldn't be able to stop him. Now, Virgil, your main goal is to relax and don't use your powers. Nemo your goal is to help Logan with whatever he is dealing with, so he can go back home and do his job then come back here. Under no circumstances are you two going to fight or cause any trouble. As far as I know and care, you both just want Logan to be fine. Do I make myself clear?"

Virgil and Nemo nod but Nemo still looks tense like he has or is going to do something wrong.

"Ok dismissed." Terrance walks away and starts giving orders to the others. Logan curls up and hums.

Virgil glares at Nemo and takes Logan. Nemo lets him and enlarges the ship. He gets in and looks over the controls. “What, never flown a ship before?” Virgil chips in and lay Logan down. “Or maybe you just know you’ll crash it.”

Nemo frowns. “Remember what I said about you being a trigger-“

“You’re lying.” Nemo just stays quiet, and they take off.

...

Logan blinks and sits up. He's on a ship, but this isn't his ship. He looks around. Nemo is in the pilot’s seat, Virgil pestering him. “What was up with you and Patty?”

“We’re just friends.” Nemo stays focused ahead.

“Suurrrrre. Friendss.”

“We are!”

Logan frowns and sits up. He doesn’t know if he should make his presence known. “And what about Logan? What are you planning for him-“?

“WILL YOU STOP!? I JUST WANT TO HELP HIM, BUT YOU WON’T LISTEN TO ME!”

“SHUT UP YOU’RE GOING TO WAKE HIM!”

"I'm awake," Logan announces a little worry about everyone’s safety.

Nemo and Virgil both turn. “LOGAN!” Virgil leaps up and races over. Nemo looks like he wants to stop him but stays seated.

"Hello, Virgil." Logan tries to remain calm. Virgil cups his face and kisses him, stupidly unaware. Logan kisses him back, but it feels off.

Virgil pulls away and looks into his eyes, his own filled with worry. “Are you okay?”

"I... don't know how to answer that."

“Virgil, leave him alone,” Nemo says from the pilot’s seat, back towards them.

“Shut up.” Virgil almost growls.

"Virgil, he did nothing wrong."

“He’s trying to kidnap you.”

“As I’ve said before, if I were trying to kidnap him, I wouldn’t have let you come along.”

"What is going on?"

“I’m taking us to Atlanium,” Nemo says.

"Why?"

“So, you can rest.” Nemo turns. “Both of you.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.” Virgil snips.

"Virgil, please." he looks at Nemo. "What was wrong with Stellio?"

Nemo shrugs. “Everyone wants something from you there. Besides, I figured Atlanium has pretty good views.”

"Ok." he looks at Virgil "Wait if you're here, who's watching the kids?"

“Emile.”

Logan relaxes "Wait, why are you here?"

“You didn’t come back.”

“Virgil-“

“Stop telling me what to do!”

“Stop ignoring me!”

"Both of you stop fighting. What are you two even fighting about?"

“You,” Virgil says. “Your health,” Nemo says at the same time. Logan sighs and closes his eyes.

“Virgil you’re exhausted and at your limit-“

“I’m fine!”

“I told you, you need to become one with your element and don’t let it control you.”

Virgil stands up and storms over. “I’ll become plenty one with my element when I throw you off a cliff.” Nemo just ignores him, or tries, and looks straight ahead.

Logan rubs his face. "ENOUGH!" Nemo and Virgil flinch. Nemo gives him a mild ‘told you so’ look and Virgil wants to tackle him then and there but doesn’t for Logan’s sake. "I can't handle this." He stands up. "When you two learn to act like adults, you can talk to me." Logan heads off as far as he can to compose himself. Virgil huffs and crosses his arms, turning his back to Nemo who continues on their course.


	15. Chapter 15

After a day, they pass Stellio and approach Atlanium. “What is your business?” A broadcast comes through.

“Prince Nemo, son of King Evan, returning with two guests with me.”

“Verification.”

Nemo speaks a word in Syrni; one Logan has never heard before. They get the all-clear, and Nemo takes them through the cloud layer and finds an ocean covered planet, some cliffs set up for landing. He takes them down and shuts down the ship. "I will admit it is beautiful."

Nemo smiles a bit, and they get off the ship. Nemo shrinks it and puts it around his neck. Virgil looks around. “Now what-“ people in shining gold armor leap out of the water and onto the cliff, quickly changing forms and landing on their feet.

Logan watches him. "Royal guard."

Nemo stands tall. “I am Prince Nemo, son of King Evan of the throne of Atlanium, ruler of the Syrni people, 12th of the Jelan bloodline. I come with two guests who I expect to be treated with the utmost respect and under NO circumstances are to be harmed. Do I make myself clear?”

The guards nod. “We have orders to escort you to the King. However, your guest needs support.”

Logan looks at the water. "I will stay up here."

“I will too,” Virgil says.

Nemo glances at them. _ ‘Please don’t tell me...’  _ “There is nothing up here. If you want to get to Syrni, you have to come with us.” A small pod-like ship appears at the surface, the holographic shield on the top deactivating and allowing for passengers. Virgil sighs and climbs on.

Logan looks at the pod. "Ok." he slowly goes in. Nemo gets in with them, and the shield activates, taking them under the waves. Logan sits down and looks at the floor. Virgil sits next to him and holds his hand. Nemo looks at them sadly before looking back out at the ocean and swallowing his nerves. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, continuing to do so and closing his eyes. Virgil hears him and looks up curiously. Logan squeezes Virgil's hand. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was uncalled for." He whispers to Virgil.

Virgil rubs his free hand over Logan’s. “It’s okay.” He looks out his eyes widen at the sight. A golden underwater city comes into view, tall and proud. Light streaks through the water, dancing across the buildings. They enter a tunnel which leads up to an air-filled room. “Some of the buildings are water only, some are air,” Nemo explains. They emerge from the water, and the shield falls once more, allowing them to step out of the boat floating in a pool. Logan gets out quickly.

Virgil gets out then Nemo. “Prince Nemo Jelan!” Nemo tenses and Virgil would say he’s almost scared. Nemo slowly turns and sees King Evan and his guards coming towards them. Logan bows

Virgil bows as well. “Father.” Nemo bows.

Evan comes to him and lifts his face. “Where were you? Where did you go!?”

“I’m sorry. I-“

“And who is this? Why did you bring them here?” Evan looks at Virgil and Logan.

“I-“

“Why have you come back now off all times?”

“DAD! Why did I come back! Really!? Why do you think!?”

“I don’t like your tone, young man.” Evan frowns. “Maybe your new company is to blame.”

“No, they’re not! I’m just sick and tired of you treating me like an incapable child!” Nemo holds back tears.

Evan places his hand on Nemo’s shoulder. “Prince’s don’t cry.” Nemo looks down, squeezing his eyes shut and biting his tongue, stuffing it down. “Now, go wash up. Supper is soon. Do as you please with... them.” He walks away.

Nemo’s hands shake. He looks at it and clenches it. He rubs his eyes and turns to Logan and Virgil. “Come on.” He starts leading them. Virgil follows quietly, almost sad for him. Almost.

Logan rubs Nemo's back.

Nemo doesn’t shrug him off. “Here.” He stops by a room and opens it. “You can stay here.” The is a large plush mattress surrounded by curtains. The carpet is tall and soft, and there’s a window giving a view of the city, fish swimming by.

"The room is beautiful Nemo."

“Thanks.” Nemo tries to sound enthusiastic but fails. Virgil walks around, looking at everything.

Logan hugs him. "It's not your fault."

“I- it’s not-“ Nemo stutters and closes his eyes, resting his head on him. Virgil tenses but lets them.

Logan pets his wings. He closes the door with his foot. "Here is a safe space. No one is watching."

Nemo swallows and grips Logan’s shirt. He shakes his head. “N-No, I can’t-“ he takes a shaky breath.

"Yes, you can. Princes can cry. Your father is wrong." A sob escapes Nemo. Logan rubs his back. "It's ok, let it out." Nemo cries on him and holds on, his mind attacking him for his weakness. "It's ok." Logan massages his head.

...

After a while, Nemo calms down, and Logan has him sitting on the bed. "You know how they say that being brave isn't a lack of fear but being brave despite your fear?" Nemo gives a small nod. "The same thing can be said about strength. Strength isn't a lack of weakness. Everyone has a weakness; Strength is being strong despite your weakness. To be a leader, a good leader, you need to see the weakness, the real weakness in yourself and learn to work with it. Not against it. Crying isn't being weak. It shows that you care and have emotions just like the rest of us. It makes you alive. A real weakness you have is standing up for yourself. Which is made harder by the king's weakness." Nemo looks up. "His weakness is his stubbornness. His lack of compassion and to understand. Your father will never be a great leader until he learns to get past that, and you will never be a great leader until you believe in yourself." Logan cups Nemo's face. "Your biggest weakness is believing that you are weak, but I don't think you are. I think you grew up with too high of an expectation to be great that you never learned what that really meant. And that isn't your fault."

Nemo closes his eyes and lowers his head, holding back tears again from the truth. Logan hugs him again. Nemo lays his head on him.  _ ‘What am I doing? I’m supposed to be helping him not the other way around.’ _

Virgil stays a distance away, watching them.  _ ‘Maybe I was too harsh... or maybe he really is trying to steal Logan away.’ _ He frowns.  _ ‘Because he’s lonely.’ _ He sighs.  _ ‘Fiiine. I’ll kill him with kindness. For you Patton.’ _ Logan rubs his back.

“Thank you,” Nemo whispers.

"No problem."

There’s a solid knock on the door. “Supper is being served in five minutes.” A guard says.

“We’ll be there!” Nemo calls.

Logan let's go. "Ok, are you good?" Nemo takes a deep breath and nods. He stands up and looks to Virgil who stands as well. "We will be down in a minute. I need to talk to Virgil for a minute."

Nemo nods and heads out. Virgil looks at Logan. “I was being harsh on him.” He mumbles.

Logan goes and hugs him. "What is your problem with him?"

Virgil hugs him back but looks away. “Nothing.”

Logan brings his head back. "Virgil. I love  _ you _ ."

“I know.” Virgil kisses him. “I love you too.”

Logan relaxes. "Let's eat."

Virgil opens the door and sees Nemo waiting there. He looks up. “Ready?”

"Yes." Logan and Virgil follow Nemo to the dining hall. They get there, and the guards open the doors for them. Nemo leads them in and takes his seat beside his father. Virgil and Logan sit across from them. "I never did introduce myself. I am Logan, Mayor of Knowledge from Stellio."

Evan nods. “I am-“

“King Evan with a ridiculously long title. We know.” Virgil interrupts. Nemo stops mid-bite and looks between Logan and Virgil with fear-filled eyes.

Evan looks cross. “And you are?”

“Virgil, Sanders.”

“Terrian I’m assuming.”

“What was your first clue?” Virgil raises a brow smugly.

"Virgil behave, excuse him, your highness."

Evan sighs and looks to Nemo. “Son.”

“Yes, your highness?” Nemo wipes his mouth and looks at him.

“Where did you go?”

“Earth. For exploration.”

"That is where Virgil ran into him."

Evan nods slowly. “And why was I not informed of your trip?” He looks at Nemo who looks down. “Prince Nemo, look at me when I am speaking to you.”

Nemo looks up. “I was in a rush and must have forgotten.”

“Prince Nemo, I never taught you to lie.” Nemo looks like a deer in the headlights, and Virgil feels bad for him. “Well?”

“I was running away.” Nemo looks down again.

"Why would you run away? Princes do not run away." Evan looks extremely disappointed at him. 

Logan sees Quentin and frowns. "Your standards are too high."

Evan looks at him. “What?” Nemo stays quiet.

"I understand Nemo is a prince, which means he does need to act a certain way, but your way is putting too much pressure on him. To the point, he doesn't believe he can do anything right because he can't meet your standards."

Evan looks at Nemo who picks at his food. “That is absurd. I am simply looking out for him.” Nemo closes his eyes. “My standards are the standards of the people. If he is insufficient, then the people will overthrow him. I will not let my descendants lose the throne because of one weak link.”

Nemo slams his fist on the table, startling everyone. “Why do you think I ran away!? I know I’m weak! I know I’m a disappointment. I know I can’t meet your standards and you know what? I’M SORRY! I’m sorry, I can’t be perfect. I’m sorry I can’t be a good prince. I ran away because I figured you’d find someone to replace me!”

Evan looks at Nemo shock. Logan stands up. "Nemo-"

Nemo gets up. “Excuse me.” He runs out. Virgil looks around with a ‘what just happened?’ Look.

"Nemo!" Logan looks at Virgil. "Please go with him. I need a minute with the king." Virgil gets up and races out after him. Logan looks at Evan. "Is that in his best interest?"

Evan frowns. “He has to figure it out. We have resources.”

"If you do that he will never learn. You might be a king, but you are also a father, and your lack of compassion is pushing your only heir, your son away. He ran away once. If you don't change your ways you will lose him forever and where will that leave both of you?"

Evan frowns deeper. “Are you, a guest, telling me what to do?”

"I am giving you some advice from one father to another. What you do is up to you, but you might not like the outcome if you don't take my advice."

Evan looks at the door. “Noted. You are excused if you are finished eating.”

Logan bows "Thank you for the meal." Logan leaves.

Virgil comes back to him, panting. “He’s- really fast...”

"Thank you for trying." Logan keeps walking.

Virgil walks with him. “How’d it go?”

"Poorly, the king is stubborn, and that will be his downfall." Virgil nods and watches the ground as they walk. Logan enters their room then lays on the bed. Virgil sits on the floor and picks at the carpet.

...

Nemo comes back to his room but flinches when he sees Evan sitting on his bed like he has been waiting for him. "Hello, Nemo."

“Your Highness.”  _ ‘Why did he call me by just my name?’ _

"Have you calm down? From your childish outburst?"

Nemo looks down. “Yes.”

"Look at me when you talk to me." Nemo wills the tears back and looks up at Evan, but his eyes still give him away. Evan frowns, "Sit down." Nemo does as he’s told. "Your friend Logan thinks I have done something wrong." Nemo stays silent. "I want to believe that he is wrong, but you did run away from me."

Nemo’s eyes flutter downwards. “I was being a child. You know me.”

"I thought I did, but what you said at dinner was the bravest thing I have ever seen you do." Nemo looks up, shocked.

“But-“

"No butts. In a twist away, you stood your ground. Now tell me what I did wrong. That is an order."

Nemo looks down. “I- I-“ he squeezes his eyes shut. “I don’t-“ Evan stares at him. Nemo’s wings move to hide, but he stops them and just looks down, keeping his eyes shut and trying to keep himself composed, a confrontation was never in his liking.

Evan stands up. "Well, no point in sitting here if you’re not going to say anything." He heads towards the door. Nemo takes the opportunity and wraps his wings around himself. Evan closes the door behind him. He sighs and shakes his head before heading for his room.

...

Virgil gets up in the middle of the night, not having been able to fall asleep. He paces the room quietly not to wake Logan before that gets boring, so he heads out. He finds Nemo in the hall, head laid on the table where some notebooks are spread out. Looking closer at them, it was all books about being a better prince written by a past king who also shares a really long title. Nemo snores quietly on one of the books. Virgil frowns and gently shakes Nemo. “Hey.” Nemo groans and flips his head over. Virgil shakes him again. “Nemo.”

Nemo groans and opens his eyes. "Wha?"

Virgil offers a smile. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” He slips the books into a bag and slings it over his shoulder. He puts his arm behind Nemo’s back, Nemo’s arm over his shoulders.

"Did I wake you?" Nemo rubs his face.

“No. I’ve been awake. Do you want to have a sleepover?” Virgil whispers and leads him down the hall.

"A what?"

“A sleepover? It’s... hmm. It’s where you sleep at your friend’s house and play games or stuff. In this case, it would be the same room.”

"Volume 2, Chapter 4, section 3, a prince does not mingle with peasants. Volume 2, Chapter 4, section 4, a prince does not take food from a peasant." Nemo mumbles mostly to himself remembering what he was studying for the past 5 hours. "Volume 2, chapter 4, section 5-"

“Aaaaand we’re having a sleepover.” Virgil drags him into the guest room and sets him down. He gets to work making a bed from pillows (as if there isn’t enough to go around) and some blankets.

Nemo rubs his face trying to wake up, but he was never a morning person. "Need to study."

“You need to sleep. You’re messing yourself up. The less sleep you get, the more emotional you are. Trust me... I know.” Virgil lifts him and drags him to the makeshift bed. He lays him down and starts petting his wings. Nemo's eyes fall closed, and he hums. Virgil smiles softly and continues stroking his wings until Nemo falls asleep. He then lays down, curling up atop a pillow and closing his eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

Logan wakes and finds Virgil not beside him. He sits up and sees Virgil curled up on the floor near Nemo who’s sprawled out and snoring. There’s a bag nearby. Logan blinks a little surprised before chuckling and taking a picture. He looks over at the bag, curious. He takes a quick peek inside.  It’s filled with books on how to be a better prince. He takes one out and skims through it. Logan quickly frowns at it. This way of rule lacks compassion or even a hint of empathy. It's more on ruling by fear and showing everyone is below them. _ 'No wonder the people don't like the king. How can you like a king that doesn't care about you?' _ Virgil whines in his sleep and rolls over. Logan ignores it as he skins another book. It’s filled with rules on proper etiquette for social settings. There are some notes from Nemo scattered through the pages.  _ ‘A ruler does not have friends. Only acquaintances.’ _ He closes it and picks up another that seems to be all in Nemo’s handwriting.

_ ‘I wish Virgil would stop, yet part of me knows I deserve this. I upset Logan. I tried to fix my mistake, but I failed. I keep making things worse, but I have to try, yet Virgil and Terrance wouldn’t listen to me and sent Virgil with me. I like Virgil and I want to be friends with him, but keeping Logan from him did not help at all... I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around how the person who rescued me, and the Virgil I know now are the same person.’  _ Logan frowns and sighs he takes a picture of the note and puts it back, deciding it was getting too personal for his curious eyes without permission to look at. Virgil whines. Logan looks over at the two. Virgil is shaking and whimpers. Nemo is quiet and sleeping soundly.

Logan goes over to Virgil. "Virgil." He shakes him. Virgil cries. "Virgil." Logan sits him up.

Virgil lays limply against Logan. Nemo groans and blinks. “V-Virgil?”

Logan continues to shake Virgil. "Virgil, wake up please."

Nemo sits up and scoots over. He takes Virgil’s hand. “Virgil.” Virgil sobs on Logan.

Logan rocks him. "Virgil please, don't do this to me." Logan's voice shakes. Nemo makes a fist and rubs his knuckle on Virgil’s collar bone. Virgil whines and tries to move away from it. Nemo does it again, and Virgil shrugs him off and blinks, face wet. He looks around in confusion. Logan holds Virgil tight.

Virgil looks to Nemo who looks concerned. He looks up at Logan. “Lo?”

Logan takes a deep breath. "You were crying in your sleep again."

“Oh.” Virgil frowns and wipes his eyes.

"Nemo woke you up."

Virgil looks over at Nemo who looks away. “Thank you.”

“Yeah-“ There’s a firm knock on the door and Nemo jumps.

“Breakfast in thirty minutes.”

“Thank you!” Nemo calls then pales. “Oh shit. Oh shit, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to mingle with peasants-“

“I’ll take the blame,” Virgil says.

“No! I’m not-“

“I dragged you here; it’s my fault.”

“No! I’m not letting you!”

"Everyone calm down. Nemo, just go back to your room, and we won't talk about it."

Nemo stands up quickly. “Nemo wait!” Virgil reaches for him. Logan holds him back. “Nemo!” Nemo opens the door and quickly disappears. Virgil looks at Logan, distraught. “I was just trying to help him.”

"I know." Logan sighs and rests his head on Virgil's shoulder. Virgil frowns and pets his head. "What were you dreaming about?"

“I... I don’t know.” Virgil thinks. “Maybe Earth...” Logan doesn't respond. Virgil sighs. “We should get ready.” He tries to stand up. Logan doesn't move, keeping Virgil down. Virgil looks at him. “Logan?”

"Promise me you won't use your powers."

“I’m trying.”

"Try harder." Logan's voice has a hint of a snappy tone.

Virgil bites his lip. “Logan...?”

Logan sighs and lets him go. "Sorry, I just don't want to lose you."

“I know. You won’t.” Virgil kisses his cheek. “I’ll be okay.”

Logan slowly nods and gets up. "I'm going to the bathroom." He heads out. Virgil gets up slowly and holds onto the bed for support. He takes shaky steps and sighs, continuing to get ready.

...

Virgil and Logan get to the dining hall, Nemo and King Evan already there. Logan bows and sits down. "Good morning, your highness."

King Evan smiles. “Good morning, mayor.” Virgil bows for the sake of it and sits next to Nemo, holding his hand under the table and squeezing it. Nemo glances at him and offers a curt nod in thanks.

"I would like permission to walk around your city. For research reasons. I would like to see your culture in action."

The King looks at Logan and thinks it over. “With an escort, you have my permission.”

"Thank you. I look forward to learning more about your people." King Evan nods and gestures for him to sit. Virgil glances at Logan. Logan sits down.

Nemo looks up. “I can escort him.”

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Nemo." 

"Nemo you are scheduled to study." King Evan says.

“I studied last night.”

"And you will study today."

Logan clears his throat. "If I may offer. I am a teacher. I happened to skim the books. I could evaluate him." Logan offers.

Nemo looks at him. “You may be a teacher on your planet, but not here. Nemo is more than capable of studying for himself.” Nemo looks down. Virgil’s eyes move between them, analyzing the King.

"I understand your concern, but perhaps a little assistance can go a long way. In the end, we all just want Nemo to succeed and become a great ruler."

Nemo picks at his feathers. King Evan looks at him. “Nemo.”

Nemo stops. “Sorry, your highness.”

"The choice is always your highness. I only offer a suggestion."

King Evan looks between Logan and Nemo. “If your studies prove to be failing, then Logan may step in. Until then, you will continue to self-study.”

Logan nods "As you wish."

Nemo stands up. “Excuse me.” He says with a hint of sass. He leaves before King Evan can say otherwise. Virgil quickly finishes and stands.

"What has gotten into him?"

"Have you talk to him?" Logan asks

"I tried, but he wouldn't speak to me."

"Maybe because he is scared of you?"

“That shouldn’t matter.”

“Maybe it should.” Virgil grumbles and leaves.

"Your highness he will not talk to you until you lower to his level."

King Evan huffs. “Lower myself to his level?”

"Show compassion."

“Compassion is a weakness. The only reason out planet does not fall into chaos is because my forefathers have ruled with a strong hand, daring anyone to try to take them down, but none have succeeded. I will NOT let one man be the downfall of that legacy. Now, you are excused.”

"Yes, your highness." Logan stands bows and leaves.

...

Virgil walks down the hall and goes to Nemo’s room. He knocks. “It’s Virgil.”

There’s a pause. “Come in.” Virgil opens the door and looks around. Nemo is moving around his room, cleaning up the mess of torn out pages, eyes red from crying. Virgil silently kneels and helps him. "Thanks."

“Yeah.” They finish cleaning and sit on the floor in silence.

“My dad’s gonna kill me,” Nemo mumbles, lifting one of the pages from the books before dropping it.

Nemo sighs "Why is Logan being so polite to him. It feels like he's taking his side."

“Because Logan has a way with words. He’s trying to change your father’s mindset.”

"He will never change." Nemo sounds defeated. Virgil holds his hand. Nemo leans on him. Virgil pets his wings. Nemo closes his eyes and relaxes.

“Logan and I will help you.”

“I was supposed to be helping you two.” Nemo mumbles.

“Well... Maybe we can all help each other.”

Nemo shrugs "You were right. I shouldn't have brought Logan here."

“No... you were right... I was- I was just jealous. What I said on the way here... it’s not true. None of it.”

Nemo looks at him. "You were... Jealous... Of me?"

Virgil looks down. “I thought you were trying to take Logan... but you really are just trying to help him.” He looks up. “You’re both in similar circumstances. You’ve both had father figures trying to make you into what they wanted you to be instead of helping you grow into who you are.“

"Yeah, Logan said his dad tried to kill him multiple times."

Virgil frowns. “I didn’t know that... he was adopted, and his mentor turned out to be bad.”

Nemo nods. “Quentin.”

Virgil looks out the window. “I disguised myself as Logan to distract him so someone else could take the shot.” Nemo frowns, though Virgil doesn’t see. “He said Logan was always a disappointment. That he felt like a disappointed father since he raised Logan like a son.”

"So, Logan didn't have a good childhood."

“I don’t think he realized what was happening. No one did. But he had his moms and friends.”

"That's more than I got."

“I know.” Virgil squeezes his hand. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all of this. I’m sorry there was no one there for you.”

Nemo shrugs "Not your fault."

Virgil hugs him. “I’m sorry for what I said. You didn’t deserve that. You haven’t deserved any of this.”

"Maybe I did, maybe it's a sign. I shouldn't have come back."

Virgil turns his face to look him in the eyes. “No. You didn’t deserve it.”

Nemo slumps "Ok."

He looks at Virgil. "What is your Dad like?"

Virgil looks down. “He’s dead... he was a kind man. He was very busy but made sure to make time for me. I recently found out he is a recognized figure on Stellio. Apparently, he helped hide a squad of Stellios on Earth during the Stellio Dolguis war.”

"Sorry for your lost. He sounded like a great Dad."

“Yeah... I wish everyone has an opportunity to have someone like that in their life at one point.”

Nemo smiles softly and lays his head on Virgil’s shoulder. “If it’s any consultation, from what you’ve told me about him, I see your dad in you.” Virgil smiles and rubs his back. "You should go find Logan. I... Need to study."

“No, you don’t, and Logan probably took off by now. You and I are hanging out.” Virgil stands and takes the pages with him, sandwiching them inside a book and putting them in a pile.

"I'm not allowed to hang out with you. If Dad catches us-"

“He won’t,” Virgil assures.

Nemo thinks, "Ok." He smiles. "... Are we friends now?"

Virgil smiles back. “Yeah.” Nemo beams and hugs Virgil. Virgil hugs him back tightly.

Tears fill Nemo's eyes. He blinks them away, confused.  _ 'Why am I crying?' _

Virgil rubs his back. “Crying is okay. It’s a natural release of stress, whether from something bad or sometimes even something good.” He offers as if reading Nemo’s mind.

"but it..."

“It’s not bad. It’s healthy. It’s okay.” Virgil rocks him. “It’s not a weakness. It’s a strength to cry.”

"How?"

“It means you’re strong enough and brave enough to allow yourself to feel.” Nemo looks down. “I know that’s not what your father says, but it’s the truth.”

"Is anything my father teach me, right?"

“He’s right that you have to gain the people’s respect, but your father’s idea of how to do so is wrong.”

"So how do I get their respect?"

“By being you.”

"That is a terrible idea."

“Why?”

"Have you met me?"

“Yes. And honestly, I respect you more than I respect your father. He’s a clown.”

Nemo chuckles "Don't let him catch you saying that."

Virgil smirks. “But really. I like you for you. The people would be honored to have you as their king.”

"You really think?" Virgil nods. Nemo smiles as tears fill his eyes again. "Thank you."

Virgil smiles back and hugs him tightly. “You are a great prince, Nemo.”

"I hope your right." Nemo squeezes him back.

Virgil pets his wings. “What do you wanna do?”

"I don't know... What do friends do?"

“Anything they both feel like doing,” Virgil smirks. “Do you have music here?”

“Yeah.” Nemo looks a little sheepish. “I play a few instruments. It’s one of the few things my father is okay with me doing.”

“Really!?” Virgil looks excited. “Can you show me?”

"Sure!" Nemo gets up and pulls out a keyboard. Virgil sits on the bed and watches him. Nemo presses a few keys before going into a melody. He seems to relax with each note, eyes closed, soul almost showing in his song. He finishes and goes into a quiet interlude, looking at Virgil with a smile. Virgil claps. “That was amazing!”

Nemo beams "Really? I've never played with an audience before."

“Heck yea! You’re awesome!”

Nemo blushes. "It's nothing."

Virgil crosses his arms and raises a brow, smirking. “You keep talking bad about yourself. I’m gonna physically fight you.”

Nemo pales. “Please don’t.”

Virgil drops his arms. “I was joking. That’s Patton’s phrase. But seriously, that was incredible.” He smiles.

Nemo relaxes, "Thank you."

“You’re welcome.” Virgil thinks. “Do you wanna hear a song from my planet? I can’t play, but I can sing. Ish...”

"Sure." Virgil takes a deep breath.

“Put your make-up on

Get your nails done

Curl your hair

Run the extra mile

Keep it slim, so they like you, do they like you?

Get your sexy on

Don't be shy, girl

Take it off

This is what you want, to belong, so they like you

Do you like you?” 

Virgil smiles as Nemo begins figuring out the chords from ear and playing along.

You don't have to try so hard

You don't have to, give it all away

You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up

You don't have to change a single thing

You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try, try, try, try...

Wait a second,

Why, should you care, what they think of you

When you're all alone, by yourself, do you like you?

Do you like you?”

Nemo joins him in singing.

“You don't have to try so hard

You don't have to, give it all away

You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up

You don't have to change a single thing

You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try...”

Nemo ends with a flourish, eyes closed. Virgil gets up and comes over, hugging him.

“Take your make-up off

Let your hair down

Take a breath

Look into the mirror, at yourself

Don't you like you?

'Cause I like you...”

Nemo chuckles, "I like Earth's music."

Virgil grins. “I’ve got more at home. Roman got me a bunch of CDs of some bands I like.”

"I would like to hear them someday."

Virgil beams. “I’d love to show them to you!” Nemo relaxes. Virgil combs through his wings, working on untangling the feathers. Nemo closes his eyes and purrs. Virgil chuckles and lays him down, stretching his wings and massaging them. Nemo melts into the ground. “How often do these get groomed?” Virgil asks, moving to the other wing.

"Never." He mumbles

“Hmm.” Virgil keeps quietly working. He gets to the base of his wings and gently picks the loose feathers off. This is the most relax Nemo has ever looked. Virgil smiles softly. Nemo can’t be much younger than him, but he’s already adopted him in his heart. He stands up. “I’ll be right back.” He goes to the bathroom and searches for a brush. He comes back and begins brushing the feathers, making them shine. Nemo hums and rubs his face on the carpet. Virgil smirks and finishes, sitting back. “Nemo?” He gets a half-asleep hum in response. Virgil shakes his head and pulls a blanket down, laying it over him. He curls up on a pillow nearby and closes his eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Logan and a guard walk around the city. There aren’t many places he’s able to go without being in the water. The castle is comprised of two halves, one air, and one water. The throne is located in the water portion, where the King spends most of his time. He passes by a food court and enters curiously. Logan walks up to the waiter. "Good afternoon."

The waiter looks at him and gasps. “A Stellio! Ooo! Oh, what are you doing here?” He says excitedly. He has blonde hair in a bun and lilac purple wings. His beak has scratches like he’s tried to eat things that weren’t meant to be eaten.

"I was invited by Prince Nemo. Now I'm researching your culture."

“Ooo fun! What kind of research? I’m Lokoi! Who are you?”

"I am Logan a pleasure to meet you."

Lokoi giggles. “You too! How long are you staying? I can give you a tour! Can you breathe underwater?”

“Lokoi! Quit bother the customer and get back to work!” a voice from the back calls in Syrni.

"Oh no, it's ok." He replies in Syrni.

Lokoi looks at Logan. “You know SYRNI!?” He practically is starstruck.

"Yes, I study it."

Lokoi squeals. “LOKOI!” The voice from the back calls again.

“Sorry!” He calls back and turns to Logan. “Do you want anything?”

"Oh, uh... I don't have any currency."

“Oh.” Lokoi thinks. “Well-“

Another worker comes up, looking like he’d rather be in bed. His hair’s a mess; apron haphazardly put on. “Shift change.” He mumbles.

Lokoi bounces happily. “Yay!!! See you later, Logan!” He races into the back.

Logan looks at him. "Sorry to brother." He walks away. He goes to a table, "Excuse me, but would you mind answering some questions?"

The three boys look up, confused, and curious. “About what? The eldest teen asks.

"Your culture, your way of life. What you think of the government."

He shrugs. “Sure?” The younger two brothers still look confused.

Logan sits down. "How do you like it here?"

“Yeah. It’s nice.”

“Swimming the reef is fun!” One of the younger brothers says.

Logan nods and writes down some notes. "Do you like the people here?"

“Yeah.”

Logan writes it down. "What about the king and prince?"

“The prince has been missing for months. The king is... strong. Atlanium used to be barbaric, every tribe fighting for more territory, sometimes even kidnapping another tribe’s people. Then the Jelan family came in and united us. The bloodline has held the throne ever since, and no one dared oppose them.” The oldest says.

“History nerd.” The younger two tease.

Logan focus on the oldest. "So, you like the rule of the king?"

“It’s necessary. Doesn’t mean it’s liked.” He shrugs.

"Do you think the King should be kinder? I've met him, and he seems... Strict."

“For generations, kindness was always taken advantage of. Now everyone kind of just looks out for themselves.”

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish that wasn't the case."

“It’s not a big deal.”

"It is for me." Logan states. The brothers look at each other. "Sorry I come from a planet that needs compassion and teamwork, so everyone lives happily."

The eldest shrugs again. “Sounds crowded.”

"Well, in any case.” Logan waves his hand. “You wouldn't change anything?"

“Who knows what would happen if we did.”

"Maybe something good, maybe something bad." Logan shrugs. "Thank you for your time. Your insight has been helpful." Logan stands up.

“You’re welcome.” They go back to eating.

Logan goes to another table. "Hello."

The couple looks up. “Good afternoon.” The lady smiles.

"Mind if I ask you some questions?"

“Sure?” Logan sits down.

...

Virgil walks back to his room hours later Logan sitting at a desk looking at his notes. Virgil comes up behind him. “Found anything?”

"Either everyone is fine with how the king rules or they're too scared to talk against him." Virgil nods.

Logan sighs "I can't make my case with this evidence."

“Ya.” Virgil sits down. “I talked with Nemo for a bit. He just needs confidence in himself. He’d make a great ruler. He’s just not who his father wants him to be.”

"Right."

“Even if you were to get enough evidence, the guy’s probably not going to change his ways. Something is going to have to happen to shake things up. Otherwise, nothing is changing. Everyone is too used to how things have been. They don’t see what they could be, what Nemo could help them be.” Virgil lays down and gazes at the ceiling.

"But how do we show them? And do they care?" Logan rubs his face. "Why am I even here?"

Virgil sighs. “We’re supposed to be resting.”

"How was your day?"

“Nice. I was with Nemo most of the time. We talked, he played keyboard, I helped him groom his wings, then took a nap.”

"Sounds nice."

“Yeah... you should take a nap too,” Virgil smirks.

"No, too much work to do."

“No, you don’t. Logan, Nemo brought you here to give you a break. If you keep working yourself, it’s going to make him feel bad, so please?”

Logan sighs, "I was never good at 'relaxing.'"

Virgil smiles softly. “Maybe I can help?”

"If you insist." Virgil comes over and wraps his arms around Logan, kissing his cheek. Logan smirks "That is all you got?" Virgil raises a brow and kisses his ear. Logan closes his eyes. "Just relaxing Virgil."

“Okay.” Virgil nuzzles him and picks him up, carrying him to the bed. He crawls in next to him and holds him.

"I would like a massage, please."

Virgil smiles and kisses his cheek. “Coming right up.” He sits up and starts at Logan’s shoulders.

Logan relaxes. "Yeah, that's nice." Virgil smiles and moves down his back. Logan hums and stretches Virgil works on one arm, down to his hand. He pushes his thumb into the palm to stretch it before moving to the next arm and doing the same. “How do you feel?”

"Great." Logan purrs Virgil smirks, moving down his legs. He slips off his shoes and socks, setting to work on his feet. Logan purrs with a chuckle. Virgil stretches his toes before coming back up his legs and to his back. He lays down again and begins massaging Logan’s head. Logan hums and hugs Virgil. "Thank you, that was nice."

“You’re welcome, Star. I love you.” Virgil kisses his head. Logan kisses him. Virgil cups Logan’s face. Logan holds Virgil close. Virgil hums and closes his eyes as Logan kisses him passionately. Virgil goes deeper, heart racing as he clings to Logan. Logan moans and rubs his back Virgil pulls out for air. He breathes quickly before diving back in, blushing darkly. Logan's blushes dark blue and holds Virgil's neck he moans softly and offers his neck. Logan goes and kisses his neck. Virgil shivers. “Looo...”

"Yes, love," Logan mumbles as he kisses him.

Virgil purrs and kisses his ear. “Love you...”

"You're my everything." Logan looks him in the eyes. "I'm sorry I ran."

Virgil kisses his nose. “I forgive you.” He smiles.

"I love you." Logan kisses him again. Virgil closes his eyes, kissing him back. Logan continues to make out with Virgil.

...

Nemo takes a deep breath, willing his hand to stop shaking.  _ ‘It’s okay. You can do this. You can do this. Virgil believes in you. I can do this.’  _ He takes another deep breath before walking forward. He enters the dining hall where King Evan is already seated, having been summoned early by Nemo. 

“And to what do I owe the pleasure?” King Evan asks.

Nemo sits down. “I want to finish our talk.”

"Ok." Evan leans forward.

“You asked me what you were doing wrong.” Nemo looks down.

"Eye contact Nemo."

Nemo clenches his jaw. “No. Eye contact increases my anxiety. Let me take care of myself.”

"How do you think I can respect you if you can't even look me in the eye."

“Because I’m your son!” Nemo looks up, tears filling his eyes. “I’m your son, but I’m not you! I never will be! Your idea of a great king is a king lacking in compassion or emotion. You stuff me in this box and try to make me something I’m not. You suffocate me in an attempt to kill that root that is not of you, that’s not of your plan or your liking. I am not the prince you want me to be. I am the prince that I am.”

"Nemo, you need to be tough. Otherwise, anyone can come in and overthrow you."

“THAT DOESN’T MEAN KILLING WHO I AM!” Nemo stands and paces to keep himself calm. “I’m weak. But I have strength in my fr- in my acquaintances.” He turns to the King. “I can win the favor of the people. The ones loyal to me will help defend me.”

"I assume you are talking about the two you have brought home?" Nemo nods. "So what exactly do you want?"

“Stop pushing me to be someone I’m not.”

"And what do you want to be?"

“A good person. A loving king.”

"And how are you going to do that?"

“By being me. By listening to my people.”

"Fine.” There is a pause. King Evan sighs and leans back in his chair. “I don't like it. I think you're wrong, but if this is what you want, then that will be your choice."

Nemo looks up, wide-eyed, disbelieving what he just heard. “Really!?”

"You have your mother's rebel spirit. I will give you that."

Nemo smiles. In a moment of pure emotion, he runs over and hugs his dad. “I won’t let you down.”

Evan slowly pats his back. "You better not."

Nemo lets go; he can’t stop smiling. He races out. “Nemo! Supper!” Evan sighs and shakes his head. “What am I going to do with that boy?” Nemo runs down to Logan and Virgil’s room, knocking hurriedly.

Logan looks up panting. He covers him and Virgil, "Who is it?"

“It’s Nemo!” He bounces on his feet.

Virgil blushes darkly. “Uhhh- give us a few minutes!”

Nemo frowns. “Is something wrong?”

“No! Just- we’ll be out in a few minutes!”

“Oh. Okay! Suppers soon! Do you wanna hang out in my room afterward? I have to tell you something!”

“Yes! Yes! Sounds awesome, Nemo. We’ll see you soon!” Virgil interrupts his word vomit.

“Okay!!!” Nemo bounds away.

"Good call." Logan relaxes.

Virgil sighs in relief and nuzzles him. “Clean up?” He offers.

"Yeah."


	18. Chapter 18

Virgil and Logan enter the dining hall where Nemo is bouncing in his seat. "Someone is happy," Logan smirks Virgil bows to Evan and sits down. He looks at Nemo and smirks. Nemo beams and eats quickly. Logan bows and sits down.

Nemo finishes his meal. “I want libum. Do you guys want libum?” He asks speedily.

“What’s that?” Virgil asks. 

“Dessert.” Nemo smiles.

Virgil shrugs. “Sure. I’ll try it.” Nemo goes to stand when Evan interrupts him.

“Cook, bring us libum.” The waiter bows and leaves. Nemo sits back down.

"What is it that you wanted to tell us, Nemo?"

“Later.” Nemo smiles at Logan before shooting up. “Dad! Send the libum to my room!” He races out.

“Did he just order me?” Virgil smirks and gets up. Logan chuckles.

They go to Nemo’s room and knock. Nemo throws open the door. “Come in!” He races to his bed and flops on it.

"Ok tell us, I have never seen you so happy." Logan can’t help but smile at how excited Nemo is right now.

Nemo sits up, beaming. “I talked to my dad.”

Virgil raises a brow curiously. “So it went well?”

Nemo nods furiously. “I can be me! I can be the king I want to be!”

Logan looks surprised. "How!?"

“We talked.” Nemo looks at Virgil. “You helped me believe in myself.” He leaps up and runs over, hugging Logan and Virgil tightly and wrapping his wings around them. “Thank you. Both of you.” He whispers.

Virgil laughs joyful and gives him a squeeze. “You’re welcome.”

"You are quite welcome, Nemo."

There’s a knock on the door. Nemo lets them go. “Libum!” He opens the door for the waiter. “Thank you so much.” He smiles at him. The waiter blinks and bows.

Logan looks at it. "It looks delicious Nemo."

Nemo sets it down and passes out plates. “It’s amazing!” His eyes practically are stars. He serves Logan and Virgil first, himself last.

Virgil takes a bite and hums as it melts in his mouth. “Oh my gosh, this is amazing!” Logan hums as he eats it.

"I did realize something while I was in town. I can't get anything."

“What do you mean?” Nemo looks at him.

"I have no money."

“Oh,” Nemo smirks. “I can help with that.” He gets up and goes into the closet. He comes back with two satin bags and hands one to Logan and one to Virgil. “We use sand dollars.” Virgil snorts and chokes on his libum. He coughs and takes a sip of water.

"Oh, Nemo I can't take this."

“Yes, you can. I’m giving it to you.”

"Are you sure?" Nemo smiles and nods. "Ok if you insist." Logan takes it.

Virgil finishes his coughing fit. “Thank you.” He croaks.

“You’re welcome.” Nemo smiles.

"So this is one problem solved."

Nemo continues eating then pauses. “How do I win the favor of the people?”

"Listen to their needs. Show them that you will fight for them not against them. You know if people like you, they won't rebel."

Nemo nods. “But like- how do I... introduce myself? Cause like, the last they know of me is that I disappeared. I can’t just walk out and be like ‘hey I’m Nemo. I’m the next king but I’m gonna be a different king’.”

“No. Just do that,” Virgil says.

"Yeah just be honest."

Nemo thinks. “Sooo... do a speech?” He suddenly gets very quiet.

"No, you can be casual. You said you didn't want to be treated like a prince when we first meet. So do that." Nemo relaxes and nods. "Wait, what about Terror?" Logan thinks out loud. 

Nemo pales and closes his eyes. “Oh...”

“I’ll go back. Nemo needs to be here and you need to rest. I’ll tell Terrance and come back.” Virgil says.

“Patty.” Nemo mumbles and stands, going to his desk. “I need to write her a letter...”

"You need to rest too Virgil." Logan looks at him.

“I know. That’s why I’m coming back. I won’t use my powers, I promise.”

“Remind me to teach you when you get back,” Nemo says.

Virgil looks at him. “What?”

“Teach you how to use your element correctly. The way you are doing it now is draining you.”

"Virgil please I'm going to be working long hours. The kids are going to need you."

“I’m not doing anything!” Virgil says.

Logan sighs "Ok." Nemo gets to work writing.

...

The next day, Virgil gets ready to leave. Logan hugs him. "Stay safe."

“I will.” Virgil hugs him back then Nemo. “I’ll be back in two or three days.”

“We’ll be waiting.” Nemo smiles and lets him go. Virgil gets in the submarine and disappears below the waves, heading to the surface. Nemo turns to Logan. “Question.”

"Yes?"

Nemo glances behind them unsure before looking back to Logan. “For future reference, are you afraid of water? I just notice you’re tense whenever we’re around the pool, so I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.”

"I'm not afraid of  _ water _ . Don't be ridiculous." Logan crosses his arms. Nemo raises a brow. Logan looks away.

“It’s okay to be afraid. There’s no shame.”

"I drink water for breakfast. Now let's go do something." Logan starts to walk away.

Nemo sighs and walks with him.  _ ‘He’s scared of water.’ _

"Now what is there to do on this planet?"

“Swimming.”

"And?"

“Flying. I honestly don’t know much else. I’ve never been old enough to leave the castle until now.”

"Then we shall explore together. Has prince you should know your own kingdom."

Nemo nods. “Most of the Kingdom is underwater though... it would be best if we got you a suit so you could swim with me...” he says cautiously.

Logan sighs "I can't swim."

“You haven’t been taught or you just don’t want to?”

"Both, look just..." Logan combs through his hair. "Just drop it, it's not important." Nemo stays silent. "You have a library?"

“Yeah.”

"Can you take me to it?"

“Sure.” Nemo leads him down a few halls before opening a set of double doors to an expansive library.

Logan looks around. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." Logan smiles.


	19. Chapter 19

Virgil lands on Terror and is quickly met by Terrance. "Virgil, what are you doing here? Where are Nemo and Logan?"

“They’re still on Atlanium. Look, Nemo is the prince, and he’s got some business to take care of. He’s not coming back.”

Terrance blinks "Wait. He is a prince?"

“Yup.”

"Alright. In any case, you're supposed to be resting."

“I am. I just came to let you know. Also-“ Virgil hands him a letter. “This is to Patty from Nemo.”

"Ok, I'll make sure she gets it." He takes the letter.

“Thank you. How is it going here?”

"Logan did some damaged, but we are working through it. I feel bad for the guy." Terrance frowns.

“Yeah... he and Nemo are similar, so I’m hoping they can help each other.” Virgil looks out over the fields.

"I'm not talking about that. Logan isn't really... Popular at the moment. Everyone is pretty mad at him."

“Oh... just here or Stellio too?”

"Word got out pretty fast. Emile says the news is hitting him hard and with him gone he can't defend himself. People here are angry that he made this mess and then just left. While on Stellio people are complaining about him making the mess in the first place and with him running off, the people worried something big is going on. Something bad."

Virgil nods. “Have Emile tell them he’s on a mental health break to deal with the trauma from this last year.”

"She tried, but it hasn't been helping." Terrance sighs "The people are scared. Quentin taught Logan, and his Dad was the mayor of Leadership. So they are-"

“Wait- what!?”

"Yeah, it was all over the news a few weeks ago. We kinda miss it given that we were busy, but test results came back, and he's Logan's Dad. Logan assured the people that he isn't like his father, but after causing this they wonder if he is a liar."

Virgil frowns deeply. “Maybe he didn’t know?”

"I don't know, maybe, maybe not. My point is that Logan needs to get back before things get worst for him."

“He’s not ready.” Virgil defends.

"Well, he better get ready soon before the people overthrow him. They refused to fall for someone's lies again."

Virgil closes his eyes. “Okay.” He moves back towards the ship. Terrance walks away.

...

Nemo swims through the kingdom, Logan preoccupied with the library, giving him a chance to put his plan into action. He goes to the city center, finding some people sitting on the sandy banks.  _ ‘Am I just bothering them? What if they don’t want to talk? Dang it, Nemo! Just do it!’ _ He slowly approaches them. “Hello...”

The woman looks at Nemo. "Hello."

He bows. “I am Prince Nemo. You are?”

The woman bows "Oh your highness. My name is Lily."

Nemo smiles. “That’s a beautiful name. Do you mind if we sit and talk?”

Lily nods. "Of course your highness." Lily sits down.

“Please. Call me, Nemo.”

"Ok."

Nemo combs his fingers through the sand. “I’m going to be the next King, but I’ve decided I’m not like my father. My rule is going to be different, kinder, more loving. I want to listen to my people, fulfill their needs, and make them happy.” He looks down.

Lily blinks "Oh... Well, that sounds nice."

Nemo glances up before looking back down. “Feel free to ask me any questions you have.” He fidgets with the sand and glances up again, trying to hold eye contact for at least five seconds. “Also, sorry I’m kind of looking down. I get bad anxiety looking into people’s eyes.”

"I understand my friend has bad anxiety too." Lily looks at the sea. "I appreciate that you want to do this, but... Aren't you worry about people taking advantage? What if someone overthrows you?"

“I’m hoping that loyalty by choice instead of force will help keep me safe.” Nemo looks out. “If someone tries to overthrow me, I will do everything I can to keep my people safe. Their safety is worth more to me than the throne. If giving up the throne means my people are safe, then that is what I’ll do.”

"You sure not like your father."

Nemo smiles. “No, I’m not.”

"Well, I hope everything works out."

“Thank you.” Nemo gets up. “Have a good day.”

"You too, Nemo." Lily smiles. Nemo smiles and swims away.

...

Logan turns on the news. "In other planet news Stellio is once again not doing well. Seems the Mayor of Knowledge, Logan might not be what he seems." Logan freezes "After causing weeks worth of damage to the repairs to Terror the Mayor disappears without a trace. The people worry about if he is right to lead."

They switched to interviews that were taken on Stellio. "What do you think of what happened?"

"I thought Logan was going to look after us, but he just leaves, hurt his own caused then leaves again. I don't know."

"It was a mistake picking him as mayor. All his time was focused on Terror, then he goes and damages the repairs? Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the bad tree."

"The mayor of Leadership was his Dad, and he was taught by Quentin. We should have seen this coming."

"I think we should take him out before he can hurt us." 

Logan quickly turns the TV off. He breaths rapidly and runs out of the library. "I need to get home now."

Nemo is helping Virgil bring his bags back. Virgil sees him and drops his bags, running towards him. “Lo-“

"I need to leave now." Logan goes right past him.

Virgil’s eyes widen, and he runs after him. “Logan! Wait!”

"No Virgil I can't, I really can't." Logan hops on the ship.

Virgil gets in after him. “Guard! Tell the king we’re leaving for Stellio!” Nemo calls and gets in the submarine, driving to the surface. “Someone want to explain?”

Virgil bites his lip. “Stellio believes Logan is just like the mayor of Leadership and left them.”

“But he’s not. After everything Logan has done for them, they really believe that?” Nemo frowns.

"I don't blame them. I just need to set the record straight."

They get to the surface. Virgil sets their ship down on the cliff, and it expands. Royal guards leap up from the water and land on the cliff. “We have ordered from the king to accompany you.”

Nemo sighs. “Fine.”

Virgil looks at him. “You don’t have to come with.”

Nemo looks him and Logan in the eyes. “You two helped me. I want to help you.”

"I don't care." Logan enters the ship. Virgil, Nemo, and the two guards come after him Logan takes off laser focus on getting home.

...

They land in the shipyard on Stellio. Logan jumps out and takes off Virgil runs after him. Nemo takes off into the air and picks Virgil up. Virgil lets out a scream and clings to him. “PUT ME DOWN!!!”

“Sorry!” Nemo gently sets him down. They continue running, but loose Logan.

Virgil sighs. “Let’s go to Emile.”

"Ok." Nemo follows Virgil given he doesn't know where to go.

The guards don’t leave Nemo’s side. They get to Morning Starters Virgil opens the door. “Remy?”

Remy looks at them. "Hey, babes."

Virgil comes over. “Where’s Emile?”

"Watching your kids. Hey, what the hell happened on Terror?"

“Logan freaked out. It’s not what everyone thinks. He didn’t attack he just lost control. Bye!” Virgil races towards the door. Nemo goes to follow him.

“What’s with the posse?” Nemo looks back at Remy.

“They’re royal guards. I’m the prince of Atlanium.”

"Oh shit. Welp good day." Remy goes to the back.

Nemo runs after Virgil, the guards on his tail. He sighs.  _ ‘They didn’t have to come with. I can handle myself.’ _

Virgil gets a car rental. “Hop in.” He drives them to his house. They all get out of the car and Virgil goes to the door, knocking before running in.

Emile looks up from chasing Terra.  **“Daddy!"** Terra runs over and hugs him.

Virgil holds him close. Nemo tries to pull his guards in and out of the way, but their armor takes up too much room. He sighs. “Just- stand outside.” The guards move outside to defend the house. Nemo closes the door and sighs in relief.

Emile comes over.  **"What in the galaxy is going on?"**

Virgil rocks Terra. “We found out what’s happening and came back. Logan ran off, and I don’t know where he is.”

**"Most likely to clear his name so what happened?"**

**"Is Papa in big trouble?" ** Terra frowns

“Yeah. It wasn’t his fault. I mean-“ Virgil frowns. 

“He didn’t mean to cause that damage. It was an accident. He didn’t purposely attack.” Nemo says.

Emile takes a deep breath.  **"What happened?"**

Virgil looks down in shame. Nemo looks at him sadly. “Logan was trying to get away from Stellio... he was scared of losing Virgil, and it was causing him stress. He kept stuffing down his emotions. He was supposed to just drop me off on Terror so I could help the rebuilding efforts, but he decided to stay instead. Then Virgil comes when Logan didn’t come home, and Logan snapped.”

Virgil nods. “Nemo said Logan needed time, so we went to Atlanium to rest.”

Emile nods  **"Ok, now was that so hard?"** She looks at Terra.  **"Go upstairs, please."**

**"Aww, do I have to?"** Terra holds Virgil tight.

Virgil pets his head. “Yes. I’ll come get you in a bit.”

**"Ok."** Terra frowns and goes upstairs.

**"He's really missed you."** Emile sighs

“I know.” Virgil frowns.

“The people believe Logan is just like Quentin and the mayor of Leadership. Logan has already proven himself; we just have to remind the people who he truly is and explain his actions while protecting Logan.” Nemo thinks.

**"Actually, Logan hasn't done that much. Sure, he brought Quentin to court and pull the lid off T.P.O. but Virgil is the one who actually stopped them." ** Emile admits.

Virgil lowers his head. Nemo stares in disbelief. “Really? We’re trying to help him here! Why did the people want him to be mayor?”

**"Some people like that he risked everything to stop Quentin. Others... Because he is close to Virgil."**

Virgil sits down. “So really it was never about Logan, it was about using Virgil through Logan?” Nemo sounds upset.

**"Apparently. Some people admitted that if Virgil were a Stellio, they would have voted for him. The people trust Virgil, and they thought they could trust Logan but given his relationships with Quentin and the mayor. People are scared."**

“Logan’s scared!” Nemo shouts.

**"Calm down."** Emile sighs

“Maybe Logan was right...” Virgil mumbles.

**"About what?"**

“Maybe he isn’t a leader.”

Nemo looks at him. “Why would you say that?”

Virgil looks up. “It’s causing him too much stress. Everyone’s up in arms against him. Maybe he’s a good leader for a while but long term over a whole faction?” He looks back down and frowns. “He’s not strong enough.”

Emile nods  **"Logan didn't even want to be mayor. He only did it to help the Terrorlings. Which is another reason the people are upset with him." ** Emile sits down. ** "Logan is a teacher. That has always been what he has wanted."**

“So... maybe he should give up the seat.” Nemo frowns and leaves.

Virgil looks up. “Nemo?” He gets up and follows him.

“No. You stay here. Your kids need you.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find Logan.” Nemo takes off into the air, and the guards follow him.

Emile rubs her face.  **"He's right."** Virgil looks at her.  **"Terra misses you. He was getting worried you left him and George."**

Virgil sighs. “I didn’t mean to.” He goes back inside.

**"He's 8, he doesn't understand why you leave, just that you did. Logan is worst. He didn't even say goodbye. He thinks Logan didn't like his surprising breakfast and left because of it."**

Virgil rubs his face. “I know.”

**"Don't tell me. Tell Terra."**

Virgil gets up. “Thank you for watching them.” He doesn’t look at her.

**"Of course. Now I'm going to head out if that is ok with you?"**

“Yeah.” Virgil goes upstairs and knocks on the kid’s door Terra opens it. George is coloring in a book. Virgil smiles at them. “Hey.” He kneels.

**"Is everything ok?"**

Virgil opens his arms for a hug. Terra and George crawl into them. “I’m going, to be honest. Not everything is okay.” He sighs. “Papa and I are stressed. A lot is going on right now that we have to deal with, and I’m sorry we keep leaving.”

Terra frowns  **"Is Papa going to die?"**

“No, he’s not,” Virgil assures.

**"Are you?"**

“No. I’m getting better. I was able to rest a bit, and Nemo said he would help me.” Virgil smiles. George sucks his thumb.

Terra hugs him tight.  **"I love you."**

“I love you too.” Virgil rubs his back and pet George’s head.

George climbs into Virgil's lap.  **"Daddy."**

Virgil smiles and kisses his head. “Hey, George.”

George hums and nuzzles him.  **"Hungry."**

Virgil chuckles. “Alright. Let’s eat.” He picks them up and carries them downstairs.


	20. Chapter 20

Nemo flies towards the town hall and lands, the crowd scattering to give him and his guards room before quickly surrounding them again. The guards act as a barrier between the crowd and Nemo. “Where is Logan!?” Nemo shouts. The crowd points inside the town hall.

Nemo leaps into the air, flying over them and landing outside the doors. Some officers block his way. “Sir, no one is allowed inside-“

“I am Prince Nemo of Atlanium. Let me through.”

“We do not recognize your authority here, your highness.” 

Nemo sighs. “Fine. Send a message to Logan and tell him I’m out here.”

One of the officers goes in. A couple of minutes later, the officer comes back. "Mayor Logan is not seeing anyone at this time."

Nemo closes his eyes. “Fine.” He takes off into the air and lands on top of the town hall. He looks at the guards. “Stay here.” He finds the escape door and opens it, slipping inside. He wanders the halls until he finds Logan’s office. He cracks open the door.

Logan is looking through some papers and notes while he is on the phone. "Yes, I understand the people's concern, that is why I want to make this announcement... Yes, that will be fine." Logan looks at Nemo and rolls his eyes. "Yes, I understand... Of course... Ok, thank you... Let knowledge be your guide." Logan hangs up the phone. "What do you want, Nemo?" Logan doesn't look at him as he focuses on his paperwork.

“I want to help.”

"I got this under control Nemo. I just need to catch up on my work then tomorrow I am making a speech to the people and then we can go on with our lives. Now shoo." Logan waves him off.

Nemo frowns and opens his mouth, but closes it. He leaves and goes back out the escape door. “Let’s go.” He says to the guards and flies back to Virgil and Logan’s house. He lands and walks towards the house as if he had failed.

Virgil opens the door for them. “Let me guess. You went to talk to Logan, but he was buried under work and told you to leave?” Nemo looks at him, and Virgil just shrugs. “I know Logan. He won’t listen when he’s busy. When he’s calm and resting, we’ll bring it up.” Nemo nods. “Now go sit down, dinner is almost ready.” Virgil smiles.

Nemo smiles back. “Thank you.” He sits on the couch. George crawls over to one of the guards and coos at the shiny gold boots. The guard looks down at him then at the other guard with a ‘what do I do?’ Look, the other shrugs and smirks.

George pat's the boots. Terra looks at the guard.  **"Wow."** He looks at them in wonder. Nemo smirks at them and Virgil snickers the guards look at each other.  **"Are you warriors? Do you have weapons? Are you going to protect Daddy?"** Terra walks around them.

The guards look to Nemo. “They’re royal guards from my home,” Nemo explains. “They’re here to protect me.”

“Yeah. I can handle myself.” Virgil smirks. George reaches to be picked up. One of the guards cautiously bends down and picks him up. George giggles.

**"Why are they guarding you?"**

“Because my father asked them to. I’m the prince, and he doesn’t want anything bad happening to me.”

**"What's a prince?"** Terra tilts his head and goes over to Nemo.

Nemo helps him onto his lap. “A prince is a soon-to-be ruler. He’s usually the son of a king. The king’s job is to protect his people and lead them, kind of like the mayor, but for a lot more people. Also, everyone does what you say, but you never, ever abuse that power.” Virgil smiles softly at them.

**"That sounds like a lot of work."**

“It is,” Nemo admits. “Sometimes it’s stressful and scary, but in the end, it’s worth it.”

**"Really?"** Nemo nods.  **"So what happens after your king? Who is the prince then?"**

“When I find my queen, it would be our son.” Nemo looks down.

**"What if you have a daughter?"**

“Then she would be a princess, and she would be the next in line to take the throne until she meets her prince.”

**"So what's a Queen?"**

“A queen is like a king, but a girl. The Queen’s job is to make sure the king doesn’t get himself killed.” Nemo smirks at the memories of his mother worrying over his father.

**"So where is your Queen?"**

“I haven’t met her yet.”

**"What happens if you can't find her?"**

Nemo shrugs. “Then I’d appoint an heir.”

**"Can I be a prince?"**

Nemo smirks and boops his nose. “Atlanium is very different from Stellio or Terror. But...” Nemo takes a loose feather from his wing and taps both of Terra’s shoulders with it. “I appoint you assistant Prince Terra of this household. Logan and Virgil are kings.”

Terra squeals  **"Daddy Daddy I'm a prince!"**

Virgil laughs. “I heard!” Nemo smiles and places the feather in Terra’s hair.

Terra giggles, the guard clears his throat. "Your highness I don't know what to do with this?" He is holding a sleeping, George.

Nemo chuckles. "I can hold him." He reaches for him. The guard gives him George.

Nemo rocks him. “Dinner’s ready,” Virgil says and makes plates for everyone, including the guards. Terra goes over and starts eating. Nemo goes over and sets George down Virgil gestures the guards over. “Come on. Sit down!” The guards slowly come over and sit.

Virgil gives them each a plate and a glass of water. “This is delicious Virgil!” Nemo smiles.

Virgil beams. “Thank you.”

**"Daddy best cook,"** Terra says with a handful of food. George hums while he rests on the table.

The guards nod their thanks. Virgil picks up George and rocks him worriedly. “Aren’t you hungry?”

George nods,  **"but I'm tired too."**

“Okay. Let’s eat, and then you can nap.” Virgil smiles.

**"Ok."** George opens his eyes. Virgil offers him a spoonful George takes it.

Virgil continues feeding him. The guards finish eating and seem out of place. “You can leave your dishes. I’ll get them,” Virgil says.

“No, I’ll get it.” Nemo stands.

“Nemo, Prince of Atlanium, sit yo butt down!” Virgil smirks.

"Do not speak to the prince like that."

“He was joking.” Nemo waves them off.

Terra looks at Nemo.  **"Where are you sleeping?"**

Nemo shrugs. “I can sleep on the couch.”

“Are you sure?” Virgil asks.

**"I can sleep on the couch."** Terra offers.

“No, it’s okay.” Nemo smiles.

“I’ll bring out extra pillows.” Virgil smiles.

**"Ok."**


	21. Chapter 21

Logan is in his office late at night. He has done most of his work, but it still feels like there is so much to do. He rubs his eyes, the great thing about working in the office. Virgil can't make him go to bed. The bad thing, Virgil can't get him to sleep. He yawns and goes to drink the rest of his coffee. Working was hard given the protests outside of the building, asking for his removal.

Logan leans back in his chair. He looks at his office. "What am I doing? Really, what am I doing?" He asks himself. "I don't want to be Mayor. I can't lead." He looks at the speech that he wrote, hours of careful thinking to win the people's trust back. He grabs it and ribs it in half. "I can't do it." He admits to himself. "They will hate me, but it's for the best." Logan grabs a new piece of paper and starts writing a new speech.

...

The next day Logan makes his announcement on the TV. "Good morning, my fellow Stellios of knowledge. I have many things to say, but the only important one is I'm sorry for failing you, and as of today I will no longer be Mayor of Knowledge. It is true that I only run so Terror could get the help it needed. That was not right for the people of my home. I do not regret my decision to run or to help Terror. I am deeply sorry for the damage I cause to the repairs of Terror. If there is anything Captain Terrance or president Emile wants me to do to make up for it, I will do it. I am sorry I couldn't be the leader you wanted, and I only hope the next one will be who you are looking for. Thank you for your time. Let knowledge be your guide." Logan cleared out his office and went home for a nap.

The news spends the day analyzing Logan's speech to see if he was sincere or not. While also working on elections for a new Mayor for the second time in a year. Logan holds onto Virgil like a pillow as he sleeps soundly. Virgil is combing through Logan's hair. Nemo quietly cracks open the door with two bowls of soup. Virgil smiles at him and gestures to the bedside table. Nemo sets them down and leaves. The smell of food brings Logan out of his sleep as he hums. Logan pulls himself off of Virgil. Virgil kisses his cheek. “Have a nice nap?”

"Yes, thank you." Logan grabs one of the soups.

Virgil grabs his. “I’m proud of you.”

"For what?" Logan eats his soup.

“For realizing your limits.”

Logan puffs, "I told you I couldn't lead, but you didn't believe me."

Virgil looks down. “I’m sorry.”

"It's fine, at least some good came from it."

“Yeah...” Virgil stirs his soup.

"So, what now?" Logan asks

“We rest. Nemo’s probably going to go back soon. I haven’t really talked to him about it. He made Terra a prince, and George was fascinated with the guards.” Virgil smirks.

Logan raises a brow. "Terra's a prince?"

“Of this household. Apparently, we’re kings now.”

Logan chuckles "Can you handle the pressure, my king?" Virgil smirks and blushes. Logan laughs Virgil giggles. Logan kisses his head. "I love you."

“I love you too.” Virgil smiles.

"You know, we should be planning our wedding." Logan looks at his ring.

“Yeah...” Virgil frowns. “Patton and Roman won’t be able to come... will they?”

"I'm afraid not. Oh! Patton wanted me to give you something." Logan gets up and goes to his closet. He pulls out the picture of Virgil and his father at the science fair. "He wanted you to have this." Virgil gazes at it and takes it. He gingerly runs his hand over the photo, staying quiet for a long time. Logan sits back down next to him. "We can hang it up anywhere you like."

“I... I think I’ll put it in my room.”

"You mean our room?"

“Ya.” Virgil blinks and sets it down.

Logan kisses his head. "You ok?"

“Yeah, I just-“ Virgil closes his eyes and leans on him. Logan holds his hand. “I can’t... let go.”

"Of what?"

“Them.”

"I'm sorry." He runs his thumb across Virgil's knuckles. Virgil closes his eyes and holds onto Logan. Logan rubs his back.

“Why can’t I make up my mind?” Virgil mumbles.

"What are the options?"

“Here. Earth. Atlanium. Terror. It’s not that I want to go back to Earth, but I want to be with Patton and Roman. I want to help with Terror, and I want to help Nemo on Atlanium because he needs friends, but I also want to be here with you and the kids...”

Logan frowns "I'm sorry you feel this way. Sadly there is no easy answer."

“I know.”

"I will support any decision you make. I just want you to be happy." Logan holds his hand.

“I don’t know what I want,” Virgil admits.

"Well, when you do, I'll be here with you."

Virgil kisses his cheek. “Thank you.”

Logan squeezes his hand. "Of course. Now come on are soup is getting cold." Virgil smiles softly and continues eating. 

Nemo races around the next morning with George and Terra, the kids are squealing with joy. George reaches for one of the guards. Nemo hands George to him with a smile. "Your highness what do I do with him?" The guard holds him away from himself.

“Play with him. Gently.” Nemo continues racing around with Terra. The guard slowly bounces George. While the other guard snickers at him. This causes the first guard to blushes from embarrassment Terra squeals and lunges for the second guard’s leg. The guard backs up and moves away.

Terra reaches up and bounces. ** “Play! Play!”**

Guard one smirks "Yeah, Dale play."

"Shut up Phil." Dale glares back.

Nemo giggles happily. “Just play with them!”

**“Pweeeeaaaseee?”** Terra gives puppy eyes.

Dale puts Terra on his shoulders and starts running around the house. Phil laughs, "What are you doing?"

"My Pa and I would do this before my wings got strong enough." Nemo smiles softly at them. Terra squeals with joy. George holds Phil's beak. Phil blinks and looks at George.

George strokes it and gasps at how smooth it is. He keeps petting it. Nemo bursts out laughing.

Phil blushes as Dale laughs as well. Terra and George join in but don't know what's so fun. "This is humiliating." Phil whines

“This is adorable,” Nemo says between laughs. Phil grabs George's hand to stop him.

George whines. Nemo stands up and takes him. “Here.” He places George’s hand on his beak. George smiles and strokes it. Nemo smirks. They hear purring and look over. Dale is on the couch, purring loudly as Terra pets his wings, giggling. Phil laughs

Logan comes down the stairs with bed hair. "What is with all the noise?"

Virgil follows, looking just as tired. Nemo smiles sheepishly. “The kids are having fun.” Dale stretches, melting under Terra’s hand.

Virgil smirks. “Reminds me of you.” Nemo blushes.

Logan nods, "I see."

Dale rolls and falls off the couch. “Omph.” Terra and Phil snicker.

"I will go get dressed." Logan goes back upstairs. Virgil follows him.

**"Papa!"** George yells.

Logan turns around. "Yes, George?"

**"I love you."** That brings a smile to Logan's face as he heads upstairs with Virgil. Nemo aww’s. They hear snoring. Terra giggles, sitting on top of Dale who fell asleep.

...

Logan and Virgil are dress and have had there coffee and breakfast. "Virgil and I are heading to Nurture to pick up our weekly supply of food and pick out our menu for the wedding. Care to join us, Nemo?"

Nemo perks up. “Sure!”

**“I wanna go too!”** Terra says from his piggyback ride on Nemo.

"Alright but be on your best behavior and no running off," Logan warns

Nemo smirks and salutes. “Sir, yes, sir.”

"I was talking to Terra but ok." Logan chuckles and picks up George. Virgil giggles. 

...

They arrive in Nurture’s rolling hills and fertile valleys. They make their way to the farmer’s market, the guards back in their armor and by Nemo’s side, Virgil carrying George and Logan holding Terra’s hand. Nemo looks around in wonder at all the new sights and smells. “This is amazing!” He squeals.

"The home where all our food is made. They have strict no pollution laws here so be mindful. But yes, Nurture is nothing but mountains, hill, and fields. There is very little technology here. They also take pride in their food and plants." Logan explains Terra looks around in awe. Nemo practically dances around. Virgil smirks at him George looks with interest but yawns. Nemo looks at all the people shopping, getting ingredients, and laughing. He hears a familiar voice out of the sea of noise. He turns and finds Patty on crutches handing a family a pie with a smile on her face.

"Come again."

He pales and turns around, hoping she didn’t see him. He stops and closes his eyes.  _ ‘She’s hurt... how?’ _ He turns back and goes towards her. “Hey...”

"Nemo!" Patty throws herself at him in a hug dropping her crutches on the ground.

Nemo stumbles back and catches her. He looks down at her with concern. “Are you okay? What happened?”

"Oh yeah I'm fine, a building fell on me, what about you? What are you doing here?"

“A BUILDING!? WHEN!? HOW!?”

Logan comes over. "Nemo what did I say about running off?" Logan looks at Patty. "Hello."

"Hi Logan, I hope your feeling better. Sorry, you lost your job." She frowns.

Nemo holds her by the shoulders, gently shaking her and kneeling. “What building!?”

"Oh, right. Well after 'the storm' a few other workers and I went to check the damages on the buildings, and one of them decides to fall while I was still in it." She smiles, sheepishly. "I'm ok, though." Nemo sighs and hugs her. Patty hugs him back. 

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt." Logan frowns, feeling guilty.

"It's ok, Logan. I'm sure you didn't mean it."

The guards and Virgil come over, Terra playing with Dale’s helmet. Nemo lets her go. “Did you get my letter?”

"No." She beams, "You wrote me a letter!?" She hops on one leg.

Nemo frowns and looks at Virgil. “I gave it to Terrance,” Virgil says. Nemo sighs and looks back at Patty.

“I’m the prince of Atlanium. I have some business to take care of, so... I’m not going to be back...”

Patty frowns, "Oh..." She hits a wall. "Ok yeah, I understand."

“I’m sorry.” Nemo frowns deeper.

"No, no, don't be. You can't help who you are." Patty picks up her crutches. "I... Uh... Need to go bake. It was nice seeing you." She forces a smile, "Goodbye your highness." and she goes into the building. Nemo looks down. Virgil places a hand on his shoulder. Nemo shrugs him off and keeps walking.

The guards move to keep up with Nemo. Terra looks up.  **"What just happened?"**

"I'm not quite sure," Logan admits.

Virgil frowns and tries to keep up. “Nemo?”

“Just drop it.” Nemo quickly busies himself, examining fruit.

“Nemo-“ the guards' block Virgil from Nemo who doesn’t seem to notice.

Logan sighs "Come on, Terra."

**"Where are we going?"**

"To pick up our week's food. The food bank is this way." Logan leaves with Terra. Virgil walks away a bit, George in his arms. He frowns and turns to follow Logan. Nemo closes his eyes, trying to block out the voice in his head.  _ ‘I hate you.’ _


	22. Chapter 22

A few hours later, Logan, Virgil, George and Terra get back to the ship, Nemo and his guards already there. Nemo seems to have cheered up. “Hey.” He offers a smile.

"Hey." Logan puts the bags down. "ready to go?"

“Yeah.” Virgil walks towards him. “I’m fine.” Nemo continues braiding some string he found.

Logan starts the ship. Terra goes to Nemo.  **"Was that your queen?"**

“No.” Nemo doesn’t look up and braids rougher.

"Terra, leave Nemo alone," Logan calls out.

**"Sorry, Papa."** Terra goes the Virgil.

Nemo sighs and sets the braid down. “I don’t... like her in that way. I never did. She did, she liked me a lot and I... I did like her but... not that much.”

"There was nothing you could do then. You were honest, and now she can work on moving on." Logan states.

“I just... I didn’t want to hurt her.”

"That wasn't an option. She was going to be upset no matter how you told her. It was best that you did it before she got too hook up on you. You did nothing wrong."

Nemo scraps his beak together and looks down, picking up the braid and continuing to work on it. “I hate disappointing people... I hate conflict.”

“Sorry, but there’s a lot of that headed your way,” Virgil says.

Nemo sighs. “I know.” He closes his eyes and grips the braid. “I can handle it.” _ ‘No I can’t. _ ’ Terra runs over and hugs Nemo. Nemo slowly hugs him back. Terra doesn't let go.

...

Logan lands on Atlanium. "Ok, we're here."

Nemo gets up, and so do his guards. “Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you?” Virgil asks.

“It’s fine. You have your planet to deal with.” Nemo walks down the ramp. Nemo smiles softly at Virgil and Logan. “Thank you again.”

"It was our pleasure. Have a good one." Logan smiles.

George waves his hand as his other hand is in his mouth.  **"Bye-bye."**

Virgil walks over and hugs him, closing his eyes. Nemo leans on him and closes his eyes as well. They part and Virgil looks him in the eyes. “Take care. You need anything, you call us.”

Nemo smiles and nods. “I will.” Virgil lets him go, and Nemo walks down the ramp. He watches them fly away before going to the submarine, getting in with the guards.

...

Virgil sets George down for his nap and comes back down. “You think he’ll be okay?” He asks Logan.

"I have faith in him," Logan assures.

Virgil rests his head on Logan and sighs. “Terra’s gonna miss him. Wait-“ his eyes shoot open, and he looks around the ship. “Terra?” He walks around. “Terra!?” He turns to Logan. “Where’s Terra!?”

...

Nemo steps out of the submarine, and the guards go back to their stations. He sighs, finally alone. He pulls his bags from the submarine when he feels a hand on his. He turns and sees a male Syrni, tall and muscular in front of him. His eyes and hair are red, wings black. “Hello, your highness.” He grins and bows.

Nemo’s heart races, and he feels his face flush. “Uh- hi. You are?”

“Akui. At your service.” Akui kneels and kisses his hand.

Nemo blushes. “Um- well, I-“ he stammers.

Akui stands, easily towering over him. “Something wrong, your highness...?”

**“Hi!”**

Nemo jumps and spins around, looking at Terra poking his head out from the submarine. “TERRA!? What are you doing here!?” Terra whimpers and ducks his head. Nemo rubs his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, but just- you can’t just disappear like that from Logan and Virgil!”

**“I’m sorry...”**

“It’s okay. I’ll get you back. Akui, I’ll be right-“ he turns, and Akui is gone. “Akui?” He frowns and looks back to Terra. “Okay. Let’s call your parents.”

...

Logan relaxes "Thank you, Nemo, I figured as much." Logan is on the phone with Nemo.

“Yeah... you might want to watch him. He’s getting as bad as Virgil.” He smirks.

“Hey!” He hears Virgil’s voice in the background.

Nemo chuckles. “We’ll see you soon.” He hangs up and looks at Terra racing around his room with wonder.

**“THIS IS AMAZING!!!”** He squeals.

Nemo smiles at him and gets up, going to his wardrobe. He pulls put a crown and brings it over, placing it on Terra’s head. “Every prince needs a crown.”

Terra squeals.  **"I love it."**

Nemo beams. “I’m glad. Come on. They should be here by now.” He takes Terra’s hand and walks with them. They get to the submarine and get in.

“Hello again.” A voice purrs, and Nemo jumps.

“Oh, hi, Akui.”

Akui leans on the submarine, smirking. “My, you look marvelous, your highness.”

Nemo blushes. “Thank you.”

**"Hi, I'm prince Terra."** Terra waves

Akui raises a brow. “He- um. I- made him a prince.” Nemo stutters.

Akui nods. “Well, the princes should have a guard. Shall I accompany you?”

Nemo blushes more. “I-If you insist.” Akui gets in, and Nemo drives them to the surface. They get to the landing cliff and get out.

Logan goes over to Terra. "Have you lost your mind?" Terra crowers, "I said not to run off." Logan takes the crown off his head making Terra whine. "Sorry again for the trouble Nemo." He offers the crown back to him.

Nemo shakes his head. “I gave it to him. He is a prince, after all.” Virgil smiles for a moment till his eyes land on the man with Nemo. In a single second, all alerts have been raised, a bad feeling taking over him.

Logan sighs "Fine, but you're still grounded." Terra reaches for the crown. Logan holds it away from him. "You can have this back when you show me you can be a good prince now get on the ship." Terra sniffles and runs to the ship.

Nemo frowns. Akui almost smirks. Virgil offers to growl and pulls Nemo aside. “Where did you find him?”

“Terra? He was on the subma-“

“No.” Virgil glares at Akui. “ _ Him _ .“

Nemo blushes. “O-oh. He- uh. He found me.” Akui smiles charmingly.

Logan finally looks at Akui. "Greetings."

Akui looks at him. “Hello.” Virgil looks ready to bite.

“Virgil, he’s fine,” Nemo whispers. 

“No. Something’s off about him,” Virgil whispers back and lets Nemo go.

Logan offers a handshake. "Logan."

Akui takes it. “Akui. Prince Nemo’s mate.” Nemo blushes darkly. Virgil stares at him in disbelief.

"Oh well, that was fast." Logan looks at the crown and rolls his eyes. "Well it was a pleasure meeting you, but I need to get my family home."

Akui nods and bows. “A-due.” He comes over and holds Nemo around his waist who lets him, face red. Virgil stomps over to Logan, still glaring daggers into Akui.

“If you dare hurt him I will personally come after you.”

“Virgil!” Nemo whines.

Akui simply chuckles. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

"Don't mind Virgil. He just gets protective. Virgil Lets go." Logan takes Virgil's hand.

Virgil grumbles and follows Logan into the ship. “I don’t trust him.”

"I can tell."

Virgil crosses his arms and watches Nemo and Akui’s tiny figures jump into the ocean, leaving the submarine behind. “Nemo’s mate? Really?”

"I'm sure-" Logan slips.

Virgil catches him and frowns at the oil on the ground. “Terra...”

"Terra." Logan sounds angrier compared to Virgil's worried tone. Terra whines from under the bench.

**"I'm sorry."**

Virgil pulls Logan back and looks him in the eyes. “Logan, he’s a child and was curious. He disobeyed and has been scolded enough.”

Logan opens his mouth then closes it. He sighs, "You talk to him." Logan goes to the controls.

Virgil goes over to the bench and kneels. “Hey.”

Terra wipes at his eyes.  **"I'm sorry."**

“I know. It’s okay, just don’t run off again. Logan’s only upset because you scared both of us really bad.”

Terra nods and crawls out and hugs Virgil. "Am I a good prince?"

“Yes, you are.” Virgil gives him a squeeze.


	23. Chapter 23

“My prince...” Akui purrs, wrapping his arms around Nemo and dragging him to the bed. His hands glide down Nemo’s body and Nemo shivers. At first, his touch was heavenly. It was everything he wanted, everything he needed. He was okay if Akui was holding him. The voice in his head was quiet when Akui was with him, his presence soothing him. Then he started getting rougher, more forceful, twisting Nemo into spending the night together when he didn’t always want to, but by morning, it was still Nemo’s idea. Always. His father liked Akui; he was the son he always wanted. Strong, persistent, worthy to be the next king. And the future king needed an heir...

Syrni biology is different from most races, where the females are the only ones who can carry young. When it comes to Syrni, both males and females can carry young, the gestation period typically only being a few months. Some believe it works better in water forms; some believe air.

When it came to Akui, it didn’t matter what form they were in or where they were. “I love you.” Akui kisses Nemo’s neck, who closes his eyes, believing every word. He’d whisper things to Nemo when his walls were down when he’s lying, shaking and naked beneath him. That’s when he’d whisper things, molding the pliable clay that Nemo is. “You’re mine...” he’d say breathlessly in his ear. “You’re my mate.” Nemo would cling to him and whine, begging for him. “You’ll listen to me. You’re nothing without me. I’m your strength. Remember that.”

His father warned him he would be overthrown, but he wasn’t strong enough. It didn’t seem that bad, though, what Akui was doing. Akui loves him. But Nemo can’t see his true plan. Innocent, naive Nemo. That’s okay, Akui loves him... right?

...

Virgil and Logan land on Atlanium to invite Nemo to their wedding in a few weeks, entering the submarine and heading to the castle. They get off and are quickly surrounded by guards, identified, then let through. They go through the halls until they get to Nemo’s room and knock. Akui opens the door, shirtless. Virgil almost growls. “Where’s Nemo?”

Akui tsks. “ _ My _ mate is busy. What do you want?”

Logan holds Virgil back. "We are inviting Nemo to our wedding." Logan holds out an invitation.

Akui frowns. “Nemo is pregnant and will not be able to attend-“

“Virgil!? Logan!?” Nemo races down the hall and tackles them in a hug, not looking pregnant at all. Virgil holds him protectively.

Logan hugs him. "It's nice to see you too."

Nemo pulls away and looks at them, beaming. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to invite you to our wedding,” Virgil says.

“Really!?” Nemo gasps. 

“You’re not going!” Nemo ducks his head and Virgil hisses at Akui. He raises a brow. “You dare hiss at the future king of Atlanium?”

_ “What?“ _ Virgil glares more.

“King Evan has declared that I will take the throne.”

“But- But Nemo’s the prince!” Virgil exclaims.

Akui pulls Nemo to him and wraps his arms around his waist. “And my mate.” Nemo closes his eyes and rests against him.

"He's right. He would be king once Nemo becomes king." Logan admits, "But we asked Nemo if he wanted to go not you."

“He’s pregnant. He shouldn’t be traveling.”

“No, I’m not! I haven’t gotten pregnant once! It’s hopeless.” Tears fill Nemo’s eyes and Akui’s arms tighten around his waist. He nuzzles Nemo.

“Oh my love, it’s not hopeless. It’s simply a matter of time...” he lightly kisses Nemo’s neck who lowers his head. Virgil remains tense, wanting nothing more than for Akui to stop touching him like that.

"Akui I don't like being lied to." Logan's alarms finally going off. "Nemo do. You. Want. To. Go?"

“I-“ Nemo looks down, feeling Akui’s arms around him, protecting him? No, keeping him captive, Nemo feels his breath on his ear. He looks up and sees Virgil’s eyes begging him to be brave. “Y-Y-es-s.” Nemo stutters. Akui frowns and holds him tighter.

Logan relaxes a little. "How about the three of us get lunch. Do some catching up."

Nemo smiles. “Sure-“

“I’ll go with you,” Akui says.

Virgil glares at him, about ready to spitfire. “Until you two are married your still under Nemo’s authority. You’re not coming with us, not if he says no.”

Akui gasps and looks at Nemo with a lost expression. “What? You would prohibit your love from eating with you? Protecting you?”

“You’re not protecting him from anything,” Virgil grumbles. 

Nemo looks down. “He can come.”

Akui smirks and looks at Virgil. “Besides which, here, the laws of marriage are simply social gathers to celebrate the relationship. The bond is created at mating. He is mine.” Virgil frowns.

Logan looks slightly disappointed and worry. "Ok then let's go eat." Logan takes Virgil's hand to keep him from pouncing on Akui. Akui walks beside Nemo, one arm wrapped possessively around his waist, though Nemo doesn’t seem to notice or be bothered. They get to a fancy restaurant in the castle and get the best seating, a private room with a view of the oceanic parts of the city outside. "So Nemo, you have been busy these past few months."

“Actually... not really. Akui saw I was struggling and took over the responsibilities for me.” Virgil never once stops glaring at Akui.

"All of them?" Logan asks.

“Most of them. I still have to appear in social gatherings, but he took over the interaction, the paperwork, everything.” Nemo smiles at Akui who smirks.

“I only wanted to help.” He nuzzles Nemo.

"I see." Logan rubs Virgil's leg under the table trying to calm him down.

"So you're trying to get pregnant Nemo?"

Nemo looks down and fidgets. “We need an heir,” Akui explains. “We have been trying- unsuccessfully, but I’m sure it won’t belong.”

"Can you not get pregnant?" Logan asks Akui.

Akui frowns. “We agreed to Nemo being the carrier.”

Virgil looks at Nemo who hasn’t looked up. “So a power play, basically.” He frowns and trains his glare back on Akui.

"Well if Nemo can't carry then you are going to be the carrier to reach your goal."

“Nemo can carry!” Akui growls. Nemo flinches and bites his lip.

"You don't know that, and the evidence is against you."

Akui opens his mouth. “It’s fine! Just- just drop it.” Nemo doesn’t lookup. Virgil gazes at him sadly.

Logan sighs "Well on other news we have our new Mayor. She is nice, the repairs on Terror are almost finished, and the kids are happy."

Nemo smiles. “That’s good.”

“And I left the force. I needed to be home with my family.” Virgil says.

Nemo smiles more. “I’m happy for you guys.” He pauses. “Did you hear about Earth?”

“And their new deep-space satellites? Yes.” Virgil looks worried yet exciting at the same time.

“Well?”

“Terrance says we can’t do anything about it.”

“But you’re not Terrance.”

Virgil smirks. “True. But I know how dangerous it would be to try to take down the satellites.”

Nemo nods. “What about Patton and Roman?”

“Haven’t heard from them. Honestly can’t...”

“Why don’t they move to Stellio with you? They seem to miss you a lot, and you miss them.”

“Because they have a life on Earth. I never did...” Virgil fidgets with his hands.

"We could never ask them to leave it all behind. I didn't even want Virgil to leave at first, but you know Virgil." Logan playfully rolls his eyes then smirks.

Virgil smiles softly at him. Nemo smiles at them. “Yeah...”

“The only time I would even think about bringing up them moving is if they were in real danger,” Virgil says

"In any case, they know they're not going to see us any time soon." Virgil looks down, and Nemo nods. Logan holds his hand. "I've worked on my studies and just passed a part of the scholar exam."

Nemo looks up. “Really!? That’s amazing, Logan!”

Logan smiles "Thank you. It's still a long journey."

“Still! I’m happy for you!”

Akui taps his fingers on the table. “What is taking our food so long?” He stands and leaves.

Virgil frowns and looks at Nemo. “How are you? Really?”

Nemo looks down. “I’m okay.”

"Nemo please be blunt. Virgil and I are getting bad vibes from this guy, and we don't have much time before he comes back. Tell us what's going on."

Nemo rubs his hands. “Nothing. It’s fine.”

Logan takes his hand. "Nemo it's ok if it's  _ not _ nothing because honestly, it doesn't look like nothing and we don't like how he is treating you." 

Nemo looks up. “He’s treating me fine.” He says more like a question than a statement. 

Virgil holds his hand as well. "He is trying to make decisions for you. He lied to us about you being pregnant so you couldn't go to our wedding. He forces his way in coming to lunch with us. He refuses to carry if need be and he is doing all of your prince duties-" Looking closer, they can see little nicks on Nemo’s neck like he was nipped or pinched with something sharp. "What happened to your neck?" Logan moves Nemo’s head to get a closer look.

Nemo pushes Logan’s hand away and lowers his head. “Nothing.”

Virgil frowns. “Who hurt you?”

“No one. They’re just hickeys.” Nemo blushes lightly and looks down. “We have sharp beaks...” he mumbles.

Logan sighs "Nemo can you tell us about your relationship with him without saying 'nothing'? Tell us that everything is going great. That there is not to worry about. That there is not a single thought in your mind that something is wrong, that you're not scared. Because your body language is telling us that it's not nothing."

Nemo looks away. “We’re... in bed a lot. I’m rarely without him by my side. My father likes him better than me.” He closes his eyes. “I- I thought if I could have a child, an heir, that- that I could make them both happy but-“ he holds back tears. “I-I’m b-ba-rren...” Virgil comes over and hugs him. Logan moves over and hugs him as well. 

Nemo squeezes his eyes shut. Akui comes back and frowns he pushes Virgil away and holds Nemo. “What’s wrong?” Virgil resists the temptation to bite him. Logan lets go and goes back to his seat.

“N-Nothing. I just- missed them.” Nemo manages. 

“Hmm.” Akui nuzzles his neck.

Logan clutches his fist under that table. He can't stand lying there is no need for it. All he is doing is hurting himself if Nemo was just honest with Akui. Akui holds Nemo close, nipping at his neck. Nemo’s eyes flutter down, his eyelashes attempting to conceal his thoughts. Virgil frowns. “Stop. You’re hurting him.”

Akui looks at Virgil and frowns. He cups Nemo’s face and turns it up to look at him. “I’m not hurting you, am I?” He purrs with a smile.

Nemo looks down. “No.”

Logan growls "You’re lying."

Akui glares at Logan. “How dare you accuse my mate of such a thing.” He wraps his arms around Nemo again. Virgil frowns deeply, Nemo looking submissively trapped.

"You are possessive."

“I’m protecting him.”

“From what? Freedom? Choice?” Virgil glares.

“He can’t handle free choice!”

"Everyone has a right to free choice. That's why it's called free. Do you even love Nemo, or are you just want to be king?"

“Of course I love him!”

“Guys... stop...” Nemo mumbles.

"No, if you won't be honest then I will. If you really loved Nemo, you wouldn't be controlling his life."

“Even the king said it. He needs someone to guide him. He’s too easy, too much of a pushover. Someone has to direct him, or he will fail.” Akui holds Nemo tightly. Nemo’s eyes beg Virgil and Logan to stop.

“His father is wrong and has been on a lot of things. Failure is part of life. Without failure, you never learn.” Virgil says.

"If you do all the work, then he learns nothing. He might as well not even be here." Logan glares at Akui

Akui frowns and stands, holding Nemo’s hand tightly. “Let’s go.”

Nemo winces and stands, following him.  _ ‘It’s okay. He doesn’t mean to cause me pain. He’s really trying to protect me. Logan and Virgil are just overreacting. Right? Yeah. I’ve never had anyone like Akui. He takes care of me. He loves me. He loves me...’ _

“Nemo.” Virgil calls and Nemo looks back. “You’re coming to our wedding, right?”

Nemo opens his mouth, but Akui beats him to it. “No.” Akui drags him out the door.

Virgil grits his teeth and looks at Logan. “What do we do?”

"I don't know, but I really want to punch him." Strong winds blow outside.

“Same. Double-deck?” Virgil offers half-jokingly.

Logan chuckles "We can't get close to Nemo with him around."

“We have to get Nemo to come with us. He already said yes. If we can get Nemo alone, we can help him.”

"But how? Nemo says he's almost always with him. He might as well be on a leash."

Two guards that they recognize as Phil and Dale come towards them. “Prince Nemo has requested we escort you to your chambers.”

"Alright." Logan and Virgil follow them.


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning, Virgil and Logan walk into the dining hall, King Evan, Akui, and Nemo already seated, Akui sitting closest to the king. Nemo has a shiny dark spot on his jaw and doesn’t lookup. Akui and the king ignore him, laughing about whatever was being discussed. Logan narrows his eyes and sits next to Nemo. He holds Nemo's hand and says nothing. Virgil frowns and sits down. “Ah! Logan! Virgil... good to see you again.” The king beams. “Have you met Akui? He has the promising of a fine prince in the making!”

"Yes, we have. A pleasure as always your highness."

“Nemo, What happened?” Virgil asks, ignoring the king.

“Tripped and hit my jaw on a bedpost.” Nemo doesn’t look up and picks at his food.

The king shakes his head. “What have I told you about clumsiness?”

“The king’s subjects won’t respect him if he’s clumsy.” Nemo answers almost robotically.

Logan squeezes Nemo's hand. "What happened to let Nemo rule the way he wanted?"

“That, oh yes, well. It was childs play. A failed experiment.” The king waves him off. “It doesn’t matter now. We have Akui to lead the way for our future.”

“Your wish is my command.” Akui grins. Virgil almost growls.

"So you wouldn't mind if Nemo comes back with us to Stellio for some time off?"

Akui looks momentarily panicked. “Oh! Not at all!” The King smiles. Virgil smirks at Akui who glares back at him.

"Thank you, your highness. Akui I would invite you but you have so much work to do here." Logan resists the urge to smirk.

Akui coughs. “Yes, well- keep an eye on him. He has a tendency to get into trouble.” He narrows his eyes at Nemo, who still is quiet.

“I will send his personal guards with you.” King Evan says.

“Personal guards?” Virgil questions.

“The two that accompanied his last visit.” King Evan says.

"Oh, Dale and Phil. Good guards. We will be thrilled to have them." Logan nods. "Now if you excuse us. We need to start packing." Logan gently pulls Nemo up.

Nemo winces a bit and follows him. Virgil goes with them, looking at Nemo’s limp with worry. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s just go.” Nemo keeps his eyes trained ahead.

...

Logan quickly takes off with Virgil, Nemo and the two guards on his ship. Logan relaxing as they leave the planet. Virgil gently applies ice to the bruise on Nemo’s jaw. Nemo winces. “Nemo, how did you actually get that bruise?”

“I hit the bedpost,” Nemo says and takes the ice from Virgil, applying it himself.

“You did... or someone made you?”

Nemo closes his eyes. “You were right...” he whispers. “I thought... I thought he did love me. That he didn’t mean to hurt me... but last night- last night he was mad... and... it wasn’t on accident.”

Logan puts the ship on autopilot and goes over to Nemo. He puts a watch on him and hugs him. "I am so sorry, Nemo. I really wish you didn't have to go through this."

Virgil hugs him as well. “You’re safe now.”

Nemo hides his face against Logan. “What did I do?” He whispers. “What did I do wrong? What do I keep doing wrong?”

"Ironically, you're a pushover. Your letting Akui control you. You are letting your father control how you rule or who rules."

Nemo squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m scared. I can’t stop them.”

“You can’t stop them because you believe you can’t,” Virgil says.

"You can if you stand up to them. Nemo," Logan looks him in the eye. "This is your life. You get one, and no one should tell you how to live it. You can do anything if you just believe in yourself. You stand up to your father once, and he was willing to change, but then you back down again, so he had no reason to listen to you anymore. Remind him, everyone, that this is your life." Nemo closes his eyes and cries. Virgil rubs his back and hums. 

“You don't have to try so hard

You don't have to bend until you break

You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up

You don't have to change a single thing...”

Nemo sniffles and joins him through choked back sobs.

“You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try, try, try, try

You don't have to try...”

Virgil pets his wings, gently, lovingly, unlike anyway Akui has ever touched him.

“Take your make-up off

Let your hair down

Take a breath

Look into the mirror, at yourself

Don't you like you?

'Cause I like you...”

Logan pets his head combing through his hair. Nemo takes deep breaths, calming down. The guards come over and kneel. “Sir, forgive us. We had no idea.”

Nemo opens his eyes and looks at them. “It’s not your fault.”

Dale and Phil look at each other. “When we get back, we will not leave your side. We will make a case against Akui. He will pay.”

Nemo’s eyes fill with a bit of hope before he frowns. “But... what if he orders you away?”

“Then, you overrule him. Akui may have rights to the throne through your relationship, but you have the birthright.” Virgil says.

"He needs you to rule. If you break up with him, then he loses all power." Logan holds his hand.

Nemo continues taking deep breaths and nods. “Okay.”

“We pledge our lives to your safety and well being.” The guard's bow.

Nemo smiles at them. “Thank you...”

"We are going to see if Emile will let you stay with her."

Nemo nods. “That’s fine.”

Virgil hugs him. “The wedding isn’t for a few more weeks. You can rest for now, then go back when you’re ready.”

Nemo leans on him. “Thank you.”

...

“What part of ‘we haven’t had alien contact since the incident last year’ do you not understand!?” Roman exclaims, having had enough of being questioned over and over.

“Sir, I understand you are upset, but our sources indicate extraterrestrial life in your apartment near the same time as the visit. We need as much information as you can give us.”

“We don’t have any other information! What do you want from us?” Roman crosses his arms.  _ ‘Dammit Virgil, this had better be worth it.’ _

The agents frown and turn away for a moment. “The satellite is almost operational. Shall we have them make the first call?” The interrogator asks her partner.

He thinks it over. “Perhaps. If they are friendly with aliens, we might get a response. Bring it up with the superiors.”

She nods and turns back to Roman. “Come with me.” She stands and leads him out of the room.


	25. Chapter 25

Virgil and Logan are in the living room, papers, boxes, and filling thrown about all over. “Logan, Where’d the table decorations go?”

"I think it's in the corner with the box of lights." Logan looks at the sitting arrangement.

Virgil gets up and tiptoes over, tripping and stubbing his toe. “Ouch.” He limps over and supports himself on the wall, digging through the box. “They’re not here.” He looks around.

"How are we this bad at organizing things?" Logan goes and looks around.

“There are too many things!” Virgil starts frantically throwing papers around before he stops. “Oh. Uh- Lo?”

"Yes?"

“It was next to me the whole time.” Virgil sits down.

Logan laughs, "Oh my Virgil." Logan sits down and continues with the sitting chart.

Virgil blushes and continues his work. He hears his phone ring and pales when he can’t find it on him. He starts digging through the papers and boxes, managing to find it just in time. He picks it up. “Hello?”

“Hey... Virgil?” Nemo’s voice comes through; the kids easily heard in the background.

“Yes?”

“You might wanna turn on the news.” Nemo tries to quiet the kids down.

Virgil frowns and searches for the remote, turning it on. A news report with the heading “Terrian Message” comes on. Virgil’s world stops as he stares at the monitor, listening to Patton’s voice talking with another.

“Do you think he’s still alive?” A female voice asks. 

“I... I don’t know.”

“Do you think they killed him?”

“No! No! They’re nice! They wouldn’t hurt him.”

“Then why was he kidnapped? Why hasn’t he come back?”

“Be-Because-“

“We can’t answer that.” Roman’s voice says firmly.

“This recording is going to be broadcast through space. Is there anything you would like to say with that knowledge?” The female voice says. Virgil covers his mouth, tearing up.

“We love you, Virgil,” Patton says. “Please... stay safe.” The recording ends. Virgil stares at the floor. 

“Virgil? Virgil?” Nemo's voice calls through Virgil’s phone. Virgil hangs up.

Logan frowns "What do we do?"

“I... I don’t know...” Logan goes over to him. He holds his hand. Virgil grips his hand tightly. He pulls out his phone and goes to his social media, hundreds of comments and messages asking about the recording.

‘Virgil sold us out!’

‘He would never! He didn’t mean to!’

‘Does that mean Earth is coming here? Do they know about us?’

‘No, of course, they don’t.’

‘I DONT WANNA DIE!’

‘They aren’t going to kill us! They can’t even get to us!’

‘VIRGIL WHAT DO WE DO!?’

‘I told you this would happen! Bringing a Terrian here was a mistake!’

‘But what about everything he’s done for us?’

‘Everything he did for us he did for his own survival.’

Logan takes his phone. "Don't listen to them." Virgil frowns. "I'm sure Patton and Roman didn't mean to."

Virgil shakes his head and rubs his face, drawing his legs up. He stands up. “I need to go for a walk.”

Logan hands him his phone. "Ok, I'll try to finish up here." Virgil kisses his cheek and walks out the door.

...

Roman is holding Patton as he fidgets with his hands. "Did we do the right thing? Should we have been honest?"

Roman sighs. “I don’t know. But there was no covering... they would have found out one way or another.” He traces Patton’s ring. “You think we’ll be out of here in time for our wedding?” He jokes.

"I hope so. Do you think Virgil will reply? He was really serious about no one knowing."

“I don’t know. I don’t even know him anymore. Before he left, he was afraid to break curfew. Now he’s breaking into NASA bases and adopting alien kids?” Roman rubs his face.

"You ever wonder what would happen if Logan never came?"

“Virgil would still be moping around the apartment with a dead car and no will to live?” Roman shakes his head. “Logan was good for him. I’ll give him that. Do I like the guy? Not all the time, but he’s good for Virgil.”

"Yeah..."

Roman holds Patton lovingly and closes his eyes. “I love you. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together.”

"I love you too, Roman." Patton kisses his cheek.

...

Virgil comes back from his walk and goes to Logan. “I need to go.”

"Virgil-"

“Logan, I have to. I can’t reply from here. I’ll take the ship, go somewhere far from Stellio, then make the reply transmission. I need to know Patton and Roman are okay.”

"...Ok, I'm going with you."

Virgil sighs in relief. “Okay. Let’s go to Emile’s and tell the others.”

Logan nods, and they head out. Logan knocks on Emile's door. She opens it.  **"Let me guess you two are heading out."** She says it like she already knows its true.

Virgil nods. Terra races out and hugs Virgil’s leg, Nemo carrying George. Terra looks up at him.  **“Is Daddy gonna go be a superhero again?”**

Logan hugs Terra. "I'm going to keep him out of trouble. Can I count on you prince Terra to protect your little brother?" Terra giggles and nods.

Logan kisses his head and stands up. "Nemo stay here."

“I will. Nemo vows.

Logan nods "Ok, Virgil lets go."

“We’ll see you soon.” Virgil waves to them before turning and going back to the speeder.

...

Virgil flies them towards the asteroid belt, keeping them just out of range of being hit. "Ok make the call."

Virgil takes a deep breath and starts broadcasting on the same frequency as the first call. “This is Virgil Sanders of Earth. I’ve heard your message and am seeking to reply. Over.” They wait a few minutes.

"Hello, Virgil is everything ok? Where are you?" a lady's voice calls out.

“Yes, I’m fine. My location is to remain undisclosed. Are Patton and Roman okay?”

"Yes, they are ok. Virgil are you alone?"

Virgil glance back at Logan and frowns. He looks back to the monitor. “Yes.”

"Virgil where have you been? Are you safe?"

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s not like you really care anyway, you just want to find out where I’ve been and who I’ve been hanging out with. Hate to break it to you, but space is pretty spacious. That’s why I never came back.” Virgil bites his lip. “Can’t believe you still have my record on file. I thought I would have been declared dead by now.”

"Virgil, we do care about you-"

“No, you don’t. You’re just using me and my friends to crawl your way into somewhere you don’t belong. Earth is not ready for space. Fix your own problems before you go looking for more trouble.”

“We have DNA tests that show you were at our friend’s apartment recently along with extraterrestrial life.”

“Look, your machinery must be faulty cause I haven’t been there in over a year.”

There’s silence. “Your voiceprint matches one of the two visitors last month.”

“Doppelgänger. Not surprised.”

“Neither of them were human.”

“Welp. There you go.”

"Virgil if you are endangered you can tell us. We just want everyone to be safe. We know there is more life outside of Earth we need to know what we are up against." 

“The only danger I have is you. Put my friends on the line.”

"Your friends are safe with us."

“Put. Them on. The line.  _ Now _ .“

"...Ok." A few minutes later, Patton and Roman get the mic.

"Virgil?" Patton calls out.

“Patton.” Virgil sounds relieved. “Are you okay? Where are you? How did they get you to talk?”

"We're fine. I don't know where we are they won't tell us."

“Do you feel safe?”

“Honestly, being stuck in a bunker isn’t the comfiest thing ever,” Roman says. 

Virgil can’t help but smirk at Roman’s voice. “Just hold on.”

"Hold on for what?" Patton asks

“Just- hold on.”

“Virgil, don’t worry about us. Just go home.” Roman’s kind warm voice comes through.

Virgil closes his eyes. “I can’t. I can’t stop worrying. Every day I worry about you guys. That you’re locked up somewhere because of me and now you are, and I don’t know what to do!”

Logan takes his hand. "We are going to be ok, Virgey." Patton says, "They aren't going to hurt us. Right?" Patton looks back at the agent standing in the back.

She smiles. “Of course not.”

Patton nods "Yeah, we are going to be ok."

Roman frowns. “Hey... emo knightmare?”

“Y-yeah?” Virgil wipes his eyes.

“You did well. I just... wanted to let you know.”

Virgil smiles. “Thanks.”

“Okay, time’s up.” A female voice says, and Virgil hears Patton and Roman being moved away. Virgil closes his eyes and lowers his head. “So-“ Virgil hangs up. Logan holds him.

Virgil takes shaking breaths and holds onto him tightly. He opens his eyes with determination. “We’re going to Earth.”

"Virgil-"

“Logan you know what my planet is like. They aren’t going to let Patton and Roman go anytime soon.”

"And if you get caught?"

“Then I’ll break out. My powers are recharged. I’m good to go.” Logan looks at him with worry. Virgil kisses his cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

"I'm coming with you."

“You can’t. They capture or kill you, they’ll dissect you and-“ Virgil bites his lip, looking like he’s going to be sick. He hugs Logan tightly, burying his face against him. “Just- be ready with the ship. As soon as we get out, we need to get out of Earth’s atmosphere.

Logan holds him. "Virgil even if we get Patton and Roman they won't stop. They know they're not alone and they are determined to find us... everyone."

Virgil clenches his fist. “There’s really no stopping them... is there?”

"You can only push it back, but sooner or later they will know."

“I can’t let Patton and Roman stay in the crossfire. They never asked for this.”

"Neither did you." Logan admits, "I'll get them."

“No. I’m getting them.” Virgil stands.

Logan grabs his hand "Virgil-"

Virgil pulls his hand out and goes to the pilot’s seat. “Stay with the ship and be ready to get us out of there.”

Logan looks at him. Virgil's back to him he frowns and looks down. "Ok."

Virgil bites his lip. “I’m sorry I just- I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You know I can handle myself.”

"Doesn't mean I don't worry. You push yourself too hard in trying to fix everything. I don't want to lose you either."

“You won’t. I promise.”


	26. Chapter 26

They approach Earth, the cloak raised. Virgil rubs his face. “Time to figure out where they are.” He takes them into an open field surrounded by forest and lands. They both quickly get off and shrink the ship, clearing the area. Virgil leads the way, climbing up to a safe spot and sitting down. Going from an orange forest to a green and brown one is something he’ll never get used to. He closes his eyes and starts searching.

Virgil feels almost a ghost of himself almost traveling the Earth’s surface, searching. The plants point in a direct, a warmth like that of a fireplace on a snowy day guiding him in. He reaches a concrete wall before opening his eyes and looking around. “They went this way.” He leaps up and makes a tunnel. He looks back at Logan. “Stay safe. Turn your watch on, and if you see anyone besides me, Pat, or Ro then get on the ship and fly.”

"Ok." Logan turns his watch on and looks Human. "Be careful."

“I will.” Virgil hops into the tunnel and starts running. He makes it to the concrete wall and makes a small hole, large enough for him to see through. It looks like a storage room. He makes a bigger hole and crawls through. He looks around and sees a computer. He goes over and finds the list of personnel. He tries to find Patton and Roman, but they aren’t listed. He sighs then turns on his watch, his clothes changing to match the set displayed on a nearby wall. He heads out, keeping his hat low, so the brim is near his eyes. He walks the whole floor of the base and can’t find them. He frowns and goes to the elevator, finding he’s on level three of four. He tries to go down to check level four, but it’s restricted access only. He goes up to level two instead and finds this is where all the cabins are. He looks through the list on the wall for the kitchen crew and smiles when he sees Roman and Patton’s names. He goes to that cabin and knocks. Roman opens the door, and his eyes widen in shock, though part of him says he shouldn’t be. “I need you to come with me.” He says, voice deepened, eyes begging him not to make a big deal.

“Uh- yeah. Yeah. Um- Patton?”

Patton looks over. "Virgil," he whispers then goes over to Virgil and Roman. "What are you doing here?"

Virgil grabs his and Roman’s arm and leads them to the elevator, not saying anything. The doors open on the third floor and Virgil lets them go, leading them to the storage room. “Hey, where are you taking those men?” One of the workers asks. 

Virgil turns around and looks at Patton and Roman. “Run. Storage room and don’t turn back.” The storage room door opens, and Virgil raised his hands, the floor folding up and creating a wall. Roman takes Patton’s hand, and they run into the storage room. “There!” Virgil points to the hole and closes the door, pulling down a bookcase to barricade it.

Roman looks at the hole and drags Patton to it who just looks like he doesn't know what to do.

Virgil comes behind them and crawls through after them. He turns the watch off, back to his regular clothes. “Let’s go!” He molds dirt and rocks back into the hole, leaving them in pitch darkness until he activates Aquo. The little robot buzzes around, lighting their path as they run. Virgil almost laughs. “Honestly? This is their defense system, and they think they’re ready for space?” He shakes his head, and they come to the end of the tunnel. Virgil pokes his head out and looks around.

Logan looks at him and relaxes, "Come on." Logan helps them up.

"What is going on?" Patton finally asks.

“We’re rescuing you,” Virgil says as Logan expands the ship.

Roman shakes his head. “Virgil...”

Logan goes in and gets the ship ready. Virgil tries to lead them to it, but Roman and Patton pull their hands out. "Virgil we can't."

Virgil looks back at them, confused and scared. “What- why?”

"This is our home. I can't- we can't" Patton looks at Roman. 

"We aren't like you. We have family and friends that we can't just leave behind."

“I- but-“ Virgil shakes his head. “But they captured you! Because of me! Because of your connection to me I-I- I have to protect you!”

"I understand, but we can't just drop everything and run away." Patton looks down. "We get married next week." Patton holds Roman.

“They won’t let you go. They-They’ll keep you down there and- and-“ Virgil takes a deep breath. “I can’t- I can’t-“ his knees fall to the ground.

Patton kneels in front of him. "Virgil breath."

Virgil shakes his head, crying. Roman looks around, hearing the sound of engines getting closer. “They won’t- they won’t let you- go.”

“Virgil, do you actually think they would hurt us? Citizens?” Roman asks.

“Yes.” Virgil looks him dead in the eyes.

Logan comes out. "What is the holdup? We need to move now."

Virgil grips Patton’s hand. “P-Please...” Patton looks at him then at Virgil a lost of what to do. Roman frowns and pulls Virgil’s hand off Patton’s. “NOOO!” Virgil reaches for them. “Please!” He stands up. “I’ll stay here! Please!”

Logan looks a little panic. "Virgil-" 

The troops arrive, pulling guns out and taking aim. “Step away from the aircraft.” Virgil glares at them and waves his hand, the earth shifting to create a natural wall.

“Virgil!” Roman screams.

"We need to move now!" Logan says, grabbing Virgil. Patton starts crying, being scared out of his mind. Roman holds him close, looking back at the dirt wall and the shouts on the other side. A small object gets thrown over, and Roman’s eyes widen, picking up Patton and racing into the ship just as it explodes. Virgil’s screams are muffled by his hand, rocking himself. The ground outside shakes and turns. Patton screams and holds onto Roman. Logan's ears ring he ignores the pain and pulls Virgil up. "We need to go." He starts dragging him. Logan gets him on the ship and lays him down, Virgil still rocking himself. They feel the left side of the ship tilt downwards. Logan races over to the controls and quickly takes off. He gets midway through the atmosphere when the sensors show two other aircraft following him. They fire at the ship. "Everyone get down!" Logan puts everything into the engine, and they move faster. The ship shakes, and Patton holds Roman tightly.

Virgil breathes quickly and cracks an eye open. The missiles barely miss them, and they make it out of the atmosphere, quickly taking off into space. Roman holds Patton tightly, not sure what to think or who to blame. Virgil stays on the floor, trembling. Logan takes deep breaths and goes to Virgil he rubs his back. Virgil flinches and curls up tighter.  _ ‘What did I just do...?’ _

Logan pulls back. He looks at Roman and Patton. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

Roman just blinks and closes his eyes. “Shut up. Just- Just shut up.” Logan couldn’t hear him at that moment, but he got the message. He looks down, ashamed.

...

After a few hours, Virgil gets up from the floor and goes up to the bunks where Roman and Patton are. He sits down on the table and looks down. Patton has also calmed down being held by Roman. Who has never seen Patton frown for so long. Virgil squeezes his eyes shut. He needs to say something, but he doesn’t know what. Even Roman is silent focusing on holding Patton. Virgil takes a deep breath and forces himself to open his mouth. “I-I’m-“ He can’t. He just can’t speak. He covers his face in shame. Patton looks at him he can't take it. He gets up and hugs Virgil. Virgil resists the urge to push him off. “W-why?”

"Because you're my best friend."

“B-B-ut- I-“

"Shh breath." Virgil takes a deep breath. "Now hold then breath out." Virgil follows his instructions. "Good, now again." Virgil does it again and again until he’s mostly calmed down. "Good job, Virgil." Patton squeezes him. Virgil closes his eyes and leans on him.

Patton rubs his back. Roman gets up and heads up to where Logan is. “Where are we going?”

"Stellio." Roman sighs and sits down. "I tried to talk him out of it, but you know Virgil."

“Actually I don’t. Not anymore.” Roman looks to the second level. “Do you think he was right? Or was it just panic?”

"Right about what?"

“Us never getting out.” Roman continues to rub his face. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

"I don't know your people too well. I only know three of them, but I have learned to trust Virgil's instincts. Even when I wish he were wrong." Roman frowns and looks at the stars. "Sometimes I wonder if I should have talked to Virgil on that day. What would happen if we never met? How many lives would change?" 

“Virgil might have given up when his car did. He wasn’t doing too good before you came along.” Roman admits. “You guys wouldn’t have your kids. That bird prince wouldn’t have been rescued, the teach guy wouldn’t have been stopped, and whatever else you guys have done together and helped to build would never exist.” He looks down and plays with his ring. “I hate this. I hate having to leave. I hate seeing Patton upset. But you know what? If we stayed in a place that bomb would have killed us. If we keep wishing we could change the past, we’ll never work through the present.”

Logan nods "Right. I'm no longer Mayor."

Roman looks at him. “What happened?”

"Cause some trouble on the repairs on Terror. Also apparently the people didn't want me. They wanted Virgil. I was just…” he sighs "Virgil is the hero, the one fixing everything."

Roman frowns. “He did it for you. You saved him. Now he’s trying to repay the favor.”

Logan looks at the stars "All I have ever done was destroy. Even when I tried to do something good, I just make a bigger mess."

Roman looks out at the stars as well. “I guess that’s why you and Virgil get along.” He bites his tongue. _ ‘I should explain.’ _ “Virgil could never see what he did well. He always believed he was horrible at everything, so he rarely tried. The only reason he made it so far in robotics is because it was his only connection to his dad.” Roman looks at Logan. “And yea, maybe he set his room on fire a few times, but in the end, it worked out. Patton made sure he didn’t give up, and you know what? You’re not giving up either. Because if you give up, Virgil gives up to. Start figuring out what you’re good at, what you enjoy doing, and do it. I love acting. I cannot cook. I’m great at flirting, usually pretty horrible with touchy topics.” Roman looks down. “Just- try. If not for you then for Virgil. Cause-“ he sighs. “I care about him.”

"I care about him too. I just wish he stop trying to fix every problem he finds."

Roman smirks and sighs. “I hear you.” He leans back. “Then again, sometimes that how better friendships are formed.”

"Yeah..." Logan closes his eyes. 

...

"Now listen to me Aquarius. You have a storm in you. If you give in to anger, you will destroy everything around you. You are a storm." Quentin tells Aquarius.

"I don't want to be a storm. I want to help and learn like you." A 9-year-old Aquarius frowns.

"It's ok. I will help you keep the storm inside."

Aquarius smiles, "Thank you, Quentin." he hugs him.

"Of course, little one." Quentin hugs him back.

...

They land on Stellio, Nemo and the kids awaiting them, George sitting on Phil’s shoulders. Terra is playing tag with Dale. The ramp opens and Terra squeals. ** “DADDY! PAPA! DADDY! PAPA!”** He runs up and takes Virgil down in a hug. Virgil hugs him back sadly.

Logan goes over and takes George. "Thank you for watching them."

“Of course.” Nemo offers a smile. Patton and Roman stay near Virgil who stands and picks up Terra.

Terra frowns.  **“Daddy, are you okay?”**

Virgil looks down. “I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

**“Are you sick? Are you gonna die?”** Terra frowns. 

Virgil looks at him. “No. No, I’m not dying.” He kisses his head.

Terra still pouts but drops it. Patton looks around. "Hey, Nemo." Patton waves.

Nemo looks up. “Hey!” He smiles and comes over.

Patton smiles "How have you been?" Roman stays close to Patton.

Nemo frowns a bit. “Eh...”

Patton frowns, "No one is doing good it seems."

The guards stay close to Nemo. Roman eyes them. “Let’s go home,” Virgil calls and gets the kids loaded in the car. 

Nemo stretches his wings. “See you there.” He and the guards take off into the sky. Terra and George squeal with delight, looking out the window.

**“Fly! Fly!”** George makes flapping motions.

"Nope." Logan states

**“Awwwww!”** George pouts.

“You can fly with Nemo and the guards later,” Virgil says and gets in. That sends a cheer through the kids. Roman and Patton get in, and they’re off.


	27. Chapter 27

They get to the house and open the door, Nemo and the guards working on cleaning up the living room. “Oh. You didn’t have to.” Virgil says.

“It’s okay. We put everything in the basement.” Nemo offers.

"Ok." Logan goes and helps.

"What is all this stuff?" Patton asks

“Wedding supplies,” Virgil says and helps as well. Terra and George play with some ribbons and giggle.

Roman kneels to the kids.  **“Roman! Guess what!”** Terra squeals.  **“I’m a prince!”**

Roman gasps. “What!?” He smirks.

Terra nods excitedly and points at Nemo.  **“He made me a prince!”**

Nemo smirks. “Prince Terra, oh where is your crown?”

**"It's upstairs."** Terra runs upstairs. Patton chuckles and looks down as George crawls towards him. Patton picks him up. George touches his face. Virgil, Logan, Nemo and the guards come back up from the basement. Patton rocks George. Terra runs down with a crown on his head.  **"Ta-Da!"**

Roman gasps. “My my! Prince Terra what a sight!” Nemo smirks.

**“I am the prince of this house!"**

"Princes needs to use his inside voice." Logan sasses.

“Nonsense! Let us go outside and scream at trees!” Roman says grandly.

Virgil and Nemo turn around. “What?”

“You’re not a prince. You can’t scream at trees and if you do they’ll smack you.” Virgil teases.

Roman looks dramatically offended, and Terra laughs. “Ex-CUSE You!? I have performed as Prince Mistar, Prince Alvalon, Prince Retro, Prince Cavio, and EVEN King Arthur. I am  _ many _ princes in one!” He points at the ceiling, and Virgil laughs.

“Whatever you say Princey-“

“See!? Even he- great Virgil of the nature’s wind, recognizes me!” Roman says in full storytelling voice. “Let us go forth on our epic quest! To defeat-“

“Please don’t be the dragon-witch.” Virgil mumbles but smirks.

“THE DRAGON-WITCH!”

Terra gasps.  **“Dragon witch sounds scarrry.”**

Nemo tilts his head. “What’s a dragon witch?”

“Only the most fearsome beast known to man-“

“Okay, okay! Go, play!” Virgil pushes Roman out the door, Terra bounding after him. He looks back at Nemo and smirks. “I’m so sorry.”

Nemo snickers. “It’s fine. This is amusing, and now I am intrigued about this... dragon-witch.” He and the guards head out as well.

Patton giggles "He has such the imagination."

Logan relaxes "Oh, I thought he was serious." Virgil bursts out laughing. Patton laughs as well Logan blushes and crosses his arms.

Virgil smirks and kisses his cheek. “You’re adorable when you pout.”

Logan blushes harder. "Virgil."

Virgil just grins. “Yes, Star?”

Logan pouts "Nothing." Patton continues to giggle.

Nemo bursts through the door and dramatically falls to the ground. “Oh, no! We are lost! Whatever shall we do!?” Terra giggles madly and runs in, grabbing Patton’s hand and dragging him out the door as Nemo gets up to move out of the way.

**“Uncle Ro needs help!”**

Patton giggles "Ok, ok." The door closes, and Logan and Virgil are left alone, the squealing of kids and roars of ‘dragons’ raging outside.

"At least they are all having fun." Logan gives a small smile.

Virgil smiles back. “Yeah.” He moves to the kitchen. “I’ll start dinner. You can relax. And Logan?”

"Yes?"

“Thanks for coming with me. If it weren’t for you...” he looks down. “I probably would have gotten us all killed...” 

Logan goes over to him and holds him. "You never have to do things by yourself. You're not alone anymore." 

Virgil smiles and relaxes against him. “I know.” He holds Logan’s hand and traces the ring.

Logan kisses his cheek. "I'll be in our room."

“Okay.” Virgil gets back to work on dinner. Logan heads upstairs.

...

Virgil, Patton, Roman, and Logan head to Morning Starters the next morning, Nemo and the kids still asleep. Remy looks at them as they enter. "Hey, haven't seen you two in what a year?" Remy smirks at Roman and Patton.

Roman waves. “Hey.”

"What are you guys doing here?"

Virgil bites his lip. “We’ll get our usual, double mine, and add a tea.”

"Ok on it." Remy goes to the back. They sit down.

"I can help find you a place to stay."

"What's wrong with your place?" Patton asks Logan.

"Nothing but the lack of space."

Virgil looks down and plays with the woodgrains. “Well, Bob the Builder can just dig out a downstairs, right?” Roman asks.

Logan holds Virgil's hand. "Virgil is on power time out."

“But he made the tunnel?” Roman asks. 

“Yeah and then I caused an earthquake that nearly swallowed our ship.” Virgil mumbles and sighs. “I need to talk to Nemo. Soon. It’s getting worse.”

Logan squeezes his hand. Patton frowns "What's getting worse?"

“Remember the last time we visited, and I had a nightmare?”

"Yeah, you were so sad." Patton frowns

“Yeah, I- uh. I can’t control my powers. Nemo keeps saying something about bonding with my element but... I haven’t had time.”

“Well, you do today.”

Virgil raises a brow at Roman. “Says who?”

“Says me. You’re talking to Doc Nemo, and nothing is going to interrupt you.”

"You will be surprised. I swear trouble always finds us." Logan sighs

“Yeah, I- uh. I can’t control my powers. Nemo keeps saying something about bonding with my element but... I haven’t had time.”

“Well, you do today.”

Virgil raises a brow at Roman. “Says who?”

“Says me. You’re talking to Doc Nemo, and nothing is going to interrupt you.”

"You will be surprised. I swear trouble always finds us." Logan sighs

“That’s because you never had me.” Roman grins.

Virgil groans. “If I remember right, most of my school detentions were because of you trying to break into the principal’s office.”

"I think that only proves my point." Remy comes over and hands everyone their drinks.

“Thanks, Rem,” Virgil says.

“Look, it just means I know how to break into offices now. So-“

“Don’t.” Virgil mumbles.

“What can I saaayyy except you’re welcome!” Roman sings, and Virgil faces plants the table before lifting his head back up. 

“You were literally Roman ‘Trouble’ in middle school!”

“Says the one who threw eggs at my bike.” Roman crosses his arms. “Oh, mi amour, Red Beauty. Farewell, my dear.”

Virgil acts annoyed, but honestly, a part of him has missed this. This play bickering, it helps him remember how close they were. Patton giggles "I remember when Roman sold your jacket, and you chased him around the yard."

Virgil gasps. “That’s right.” He glares at Roman who laughs.

“You dumped paint on me! I had to get you back!”

“By selling my Fall Out Boys jacket? Not cool bro! Not. Cool.”

"I gave you the money and said I was sorry!" Roman defends

Logan rolls his eyes. "You two are unbelievable."

“Welcome to Prinxiety.“

“Noooooooo!” Virgil groans and pulls his hood up. “UGHHHH! That was the worst week of my life!”

Roman laughs, "I found it hilarious my dark and stormy knight." Roman fake flirts.

Virgil glares at him. “EVERYONE in school thought we were together. They wouldn’t stop following me!”

Roman continues to laugh, "Hey, I made you popular."

“I didn’t want to be! They wouldn’t stop chanting! I go home, come back and BOOM! The halls filled with kids shouting Prinxiety! It was a nightmare!” He faces plants again.

Roman looks at Logan’s confused expression. “In high school, Virgil got nicknamed as Anxiety cause he was the emo stormcloud of the halls. I, of course, was the prince. Somehow a rumor started that we were together.”

“And instead of letting it die, he milked it.” Virgil mumbles.

Roman laughs. “It was fun!”

“For you! You didn’t have half the school following your Tumblr for Prinxiety posts.”

“Nope. I had... INSTAGRAM!”

Patton giggles "It was fun to watch until Virgil made it very clear how he felt about it, so I got Roman to tell everyone it was false."

"I can't believe you gave out false information to the public." Logan frowns

"It was a joke! You have jokes here, right?" Roman smirks

Virgil shrugs. “Jokes are different than rumors.”

"Well, high school is behind us, and we are both get married- THE WEDDING!" Roman yells Patton holds Roman’s hand. Logan rubs his ear.

Virgil winces. “Roman! No yelling! Stellios have sensitive ears!”

"Oh sorry, but Patton and I are... we were going to get married next week. Do you know how much money we spent on this wedding."

Virgil frowns. “I’m sorry.” He looks down. “You can still get married, just...”

"Without all our family and friends." Roman sighs Virgil frowns deeply.

"Well, no point in thinking about- Oh Michael! We left Micheal." Patton frowns

“Your dog?” Virgil asks.

"Yeah..." Patton frowns "He was a rescue."

“Oh.” Virgil looks down. “There’s a lot of things left at your apartment, isn’t there?”

“Not if the F.B.I went through it all.” Roman sighs.

Patton sighs he stands up. "I'm going to go get some fresh air." Patton heads out. Roman gets up and goes with him. Virgil looks down at his coffee. Logan holds his hand.

“Did I do the right thing?” Virgil mumbles. “Were they really in danger, or was I being selfish?”

"They did throw a bomb at them." Logan sighs "I don't know. I really do not know." Virgil frowns.


	28. Chapter 28

Logan and Virgil are lying on the couch when Patton throws the door open panting. Logan and Virgil quickly stand up. “What’s wrong? Where’s Roman?” Virgil asks.

Patton looks at him a bruise forming over his eye. "We...jumped... Roman... Took." Patton pants hair gasping for air.

Logan frowns "Who would take Roman?"

“A lot of people. NEMO!”

Nemo comes down the stairs. “Wha-“

“Roman’s kidnapped. Watch the kids.” Virgil closes his eyes and searches for Roman. He senses a group of people forcefully dragging someone. The ground shifts and swallows them to their ankles. He gets up and races outside to the speeder, getting on and calling Terrance. He follows the people he sensed.

"Virgil?"

“Hey. My friend got kidnapped. I’m after them right now. I know I’m not on the force anymore, but some back up would be appreciated.” He barely masks the fear in his voice.

"Do you know where they're taking them?"

“No. Track my phone.”

"Ok. I'm only sending 3."

“You know me so well.” Virgil catches up to the group of Stellios of varying factions trying to dig themselves out of the dirt. Roman lies near them, struggling with the ropes and gag. They see Virgil and panic. "Shit."

“Shit is right,” Virgil grumbles and pulls out a knife, cutting Roman free. He turns to the group. “Why did you kidnap him and where were you taking him?”

“He sold us out!” One answers. Virgil glares at him, and he cowers.

"Well, I never! You think I wanted to rat Virgil out? I tried for months to get them off me and Patton's backs." He brushes the dirt off of his legs.

Virgil frowns a bit. The back up arrives Virgil starts leading Roman away. “Kidnapping and starting violence,” Virgil says to the officers before hopping on the speeder, waiting for Roman.

Roman throws his nose in the air and goes over to Virgil. "Is Patton ok?"

“He has a small bruise but other than that he seems fine.” Virgil drives them back. “What about you?”

"I'm going to be sore. They ganged up on us. I'm just happy Patton escaped."

“Yeah. From now on you both wear disguises.” They get back to the house and Virgil parks the speeder.

Patton comes out of the house and hugs Roman. "I'm so happy your safe." Roman hugs him back.

Virgil corrals them inside and closes the door behind them. He holds his head.  _ ‘I can’t keep them safe.’ _

Logan goes over to Virgil. "You ok?"

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Virgil moves past him.

Logan frowns. Terra hugs Roman's leg.  **"Are you ok?"**

“Yeah. I’m okay Little Prince.” Roman ruffles his hair. Terra giggles. Virgil goes to the basement and closes the door. Logan knows that he only does that when he’s going to work on his inventions and doesn’t want to be bothered. He also knows that only happens when he’s inspired or upset.

Logan frowns but lets him be. He goes to Roman. "I am so sorry."

Roman looks at him. “I thought your planet was supposed to be some sort of perfect paradise?”

Nemo comes downstairs along with the guards. “Compared to a lot of places, it is.”

"Every place has bad people. They're just scared, to be honest, scared and angry. They think that you two ratted us out to Earth." Logan added.

"Why is it so bad that Earth can't know about you?" Roman asks.

"Because Earth is one of the most greed, corruptive planets in the Galaxy." Logan crosses his arms.

Roman raises a brow. “Please just drop it,” Nemo begs, sensing an argument brewing. “I’m assuming Virgil gave you directions?”

“Yeah. Wear a disguise.” Roman crosses his arms.

Nemo nods. “And stay here.”

Roman sighs. “Look, they were going to find out eventually. We tried not to tell them much.”

"I understand, and I believe you, but they don't know you." Logan goes upstairs.

Roman frowns. Virgil opens the door to the basement. “Nemo? Can we talk?”

Nemo turns. “Sure?” He follows him down.

Logan comes down with two watches. "Here." Patton and Roman take them.

"Pick whatever you want." Roman sighs and turns into a Stellio of creation while Patton turns into a Stellio of Nurture.

...

Nemo sits down. Virgil sits down across from him. “It’s getting worse. I need to control it.” Virgil says.

“No, you don’t. You need to become one with your element.”

“How do I do that?”

“How do you and Logan have a relationship?”

“Communication... time... effort?” Virgil asks.

Nemo nods. “You almost know what he’s going to do before it happens, right?”

“Yeah, but I thought the problem was that I was using my powers too much?”

“No, you’re fighting it. You’re using your powers without giving a part of yourself in return. Until you do so, you will continue to drain yourself. You have to  _ trust _ your element.”

“But if I give away a part of me, won’t that drain me more?”

“No. It’s a balance. The element WANTS to keep you balanced, but you have to open up to it and let it.”

Virgil thinks it over and nods. “I’ll try. Thanks.”

Nemo nods and stands. “Do you want me to close the door?”

“Yes, please.” Nemo heads out and closes the door behind him. He looks around for Logan. He sees Terra, George and two Stellios he doesn't recognize. Patton looks up. "Hey, Nemo."

“Patton? Oh, Logan gave you disguises. Do you know where he is?”

"He went upstairs."

“Okay. Thank you.” Nemo goes upstairs to the bedroom and knocks. He gets no response. “Logan?” No answer. Nemo cracks open the door and sees the window open. He sighs and contemplates going after him. He goes back downstairs, looking at the kids. He looks at the basement door then at the front door again. “Hey, I’m gonna go out for some air. I’ll be back.” He says.

“Oh, so bird brain doesn’t need a disguise.” Roman mumbles. 

**“Hey! Be nice to your fellow princes!”** Terra says, and Nemo smiles softly.

The guards follow him out, and Nemo goes back around the house, looking at the window Logan must have come out of. “Sir. I believe he went this way.” Phil says. Nemo turns and follows him, Dale bringing up the rear.

...

Logan glides through the air using a glider suit. He uses his powers to go up and out of view. He spins and does tricks letting the wind blow around him. He hasn't done this in years, it feels so free. Nemo looks up as a shadow looms over them. He tilts his head in confusion and gestures for the guards to stay hidden. He watches Logan, the peace he seems to have. He smiles softly and just lets him go, knowing he’s okay. Logan dances around letting the wind guide him like the waves of an ocean. Phil watches him. "How is he doing that?"

“His element is air,” Nemo replies.

"Oh." Logan disappears in the clouds.

Nemo stands. “He’s okay. I was just worried about him, but we can go back now.” The guards nod and follow him.

...

They get back to the house and find Roman and Patton trying to clean the kids up from their meal. Virgil paces and turns to Nemo. He pulls Virgil aside. “Logan is okay. He’s having some private time and just needed a breather.” Virgil sighs and nods.

"Where did he go? We didn't see him leave." Roman asks

“Yeah, he just went a back way. Just leave him alone and don’t give him any hate for it. He needed this, I can tell.” Virgil softens and goes back to the kitchen.

“Hey, what about a movie?” Virgil asks.

“Ooo! Yeah!” Nemo beams.

Patton and Roman agreed as well. "I wonder if Stellio movies are even as good as Disney." He chuckles.

Patton giggles, "I bet it will be fine.” They all sit down as Virgil puts a movie in.


	29. Chapter 29

Logan has been going at it for hours. It's late at night and cold. He decides to turn back he flies over a forest. He starts to pant and feel dizzy. He needs to land; he lowers himself but feels sick and can't focus. A gust of wind throws him at a tree. Logan groans as he falls and it's the ground. He tries to get up, but darkness overtakes him.

That morning Logan wakes up still feeling bad and sore. He stands up but quickly loses his balance and falls over. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He tries again but ends up falling with the wind Logan sighs and closes his eyes. "Fine just a few more minutes."

...

Virgil takes Nemo to Morning Starters to help distract him from the fact that Logan still isn’t back. “I thought you said he was fine,” Virgil mumbles as they wait in line.

“He was. He’s probably on his way back.” Nemo frowns. “I’ll go look for him when we get back if you want.” Virgil taps his foot impatiently. Nemo frowns and turns to Dale. “Go find Logan. Bring him back to the house.” Dale nods and heads out. Nemo looks at Virgil. "Really he was just flying."

“He shouldn’t be out this long. And if he’s not here, something happened. He always comes for his coffee. Always.”

Remy looks at them. "Did Logan get himself in trouble again?"

“Yes.” “We don’t know,” Nemo says at the same time as Virgil.

"What did he do this time?"

“He just went flying,” Nemo says.

"I had a cousin that liked to fly. Chill dude, most air people are."

“Yeah, well he’s been out all night.” Virgil crosses his arms.

"He probably passed out." Remy shrugs and sips his coffee.

Virgil’s eyes widen. “He was using his powers to fly, wasn’t he?” He looks at Nemo who pales. They both turn and run, Phil going with them.

"How could I be so stupid?" Nemo yells He picks up Virgil and takes off into the air. Virgil screams and holds onto him. 

...

It takes them a couple of hours to find him. Virgil called Terrance for back up. He finally gets a callback. "We found him."

“We’re on our way!”

Nemo land outside a forest. He puts Virgil down who runs in and quickly finds the others. Terrance is holding Logan. "He won't wake up." He frowns.

Virgil goes to him. “Logan!? Logan!!!” He holds him close, shaking. “Please. Please.”

Logan groans and holds Virgil. "It's not a coma. I don't understand why he won't wake up."

“He drained his powers.” Nemo frowns. “I should have seen this coming. He wasn’t taught correctly either...”

"Well, get him home and find a teacher." Terrance shakes his head. "Alright, men move out." The officers leave.

Virgil picks him up and looks at Nemo with tear-filled eyes. Nemo frowns deeply and takes him, nodding for Phil to take Virgil. Dale rejoins them, and they go back home. Logan whines as the wind blows. It feels like Logan is being pushed into Nemo. Nemo pets his head. “Can you hear me...?” Logan doesn't respond. They land in front of the house. Virgil takes Logan and goes upstairs. Logan pants and curls up.

Virgil lays him down. Nemo comes to the door. “Get out.”

“Virgil-“

“Get. Out.”

Nemo frowns. “I need to-“ the door slams in his face. Logan rubs his cheek on the bed. Virgil pets his hair and sighs, laying down and holding him.

...

Virgil wakes up to a nap he didn't even know he was having with a boom of thunder. He opens his eyes and doesn't see Logan on the bed. He's still unconscious but now in the corner of the room shaking and sweating. Virgil gets up. “Lo?” Logan is thrown at the door by an invisible force. “Logan!?” Virgil grabs him. He's cold to the touch despite his sweat. The thunder booms, and Logan screams in pain. “LOGAN!!!”

Nemo opens the door. “What-“

“NEMO KNOCK HIM OUT!” Nemo blinks. “JUST DO IT!” Nemo kneels and touches his head. Logan screams before going quiet.

Nemo frowns deeply. Virgil sits next to him and holds his hand. “What do we do?”

Nemo looks at the weather outside. “Wait. If he doesn’t get better, then hospital.” It continues to storm.

...

The storm finally past and Logan groans. He forces his eyes open Virgil is waiting. “Hey...”

"Virgil?" Logan holds his head.

“Yeah... how do you feel?”

"Like I got hit with a car... Did I?"

“No. You went flying and then never came out. We found you passed out and wouldn’t wake up. Then a storm came through, and you were screaming in pain.” Logan sits up, and everything is spinning. Logan closes his eyes, but it doesn't stop his imaginary spinning. Virgil lays him back down. “Stay still.”

"I'm trying."

“Just rest.” Virgil frowns. “Nemo? Water please?” Logan feels water trickle into his mouth.

"I'm fine, just dizzy." Logan mumbles

“Just drink,” Nemo says. Logan puffs but does what he is told. Virgil and Nemo stay by his side. “I’ll get you some soup.” Nemo gets up. Logan goes to sit up. Virgil keeps him down.

"Virgil-"

“You are staying here.” Virgil looks dead serious with a bit of fear in his eyes.

Logan sighs "Fine." Logan holds his hand. Virgil rubs it. A few minutes later, Nemo comes back with a bowl of soup. Virgil feeds it to Logan. "Guys I'm fine, I can feed myself."

“Logan please!” Virgil begs, and Nemo looks down.

Logan frowns "What is the big deal?"

“The big deal is I thought you were dead!” Virgil says passionately. “The big deal is that you were out for a whole day! The big deal is you screamed in pain when lightning struck! The big deal is we couldn’t find you and had to call Terrance and a third of the force to find you! And when we did, you wouldn’t respond! You kept getting blown all over and there was nothing I could do!”

Logan looks down. "Well, at least you know how I feel." He mumbles. Virgil bites his lip and hangs his head. Logan sits up. "I'm sorry." Virgil holds him and lays him back down. "I can't eat lying down Virgil." Virgil sighs and helps him up, supporting him and feeding him. Nemo stays silent, sitting a distance away. Logan takes the spoon. "I'm not a baby Virgil."

Virgil frowns and takes the spoon back. “Let me take care of you.”

“Virgil-“

“Shut up!” Virgil turns on Nemo. “This was your fault! You told us to leave him alone!”

Nemo frowns. “Your majesty.” He looks up at Dale at the door. He stands and follows him.

"Virgil, he didn't know."

“Yes, he did! He was the first to notice you gone so he went to find you and he came back and told us you were flying and that you were fine and to leave you alone. But then you didn’t come back.”

"I was fine until I wasn't." Logan sighs "You wouldn't have been able to find me anyway. I was above the clouds." Virgil frowns and looks down. He offers the spoon to Logan. Logan takes it. "Thank you." Logan continues to eat his soup. Virgil stays with him. "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean for this to happen."

“I know.” Logan looks at Virgil and holds his hand. Virgil holds his hand and kisses his cheek, keeping him close. “I love you.”

"I love you too."

Virgil closes his eyes. “We need to work on our powers... together. We need Nemo to teach us.”

"No."

Virgil looks at him. “What do you mean?”

"I don't need a teacher. I can figure it out on my own."

“Logan for once in your life, please just stop being prideful and accept help!”

Logan drops the spoon that lands in the soup. His eyes twitch as he looks at Virgil. "Me prideful!? Not accepting help? Oh, your one to talk. Really Virgil? Don't make me laugh." The clouds outside darken. Virgil glances at them, almost scared. "You never want help. Your mister 'Got to fix everything' I'm going to kidnap my friends, I'm going to start a revolution. I'm going to do it all by myself because I'm Virgil with nature powers." It starts to rain. "I don't care if I'm slowly killing myself. It's not like anyone will miss me, oh wait I would miss you!"

“Logan-“

"So sorry if I 'don't seek help' oh wait I always seek help because I'm too incompetence to do anything without making a bigger mess of things. I've spent my whole life letting someone else guide me. I WILL NOT BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF." The house shakes as the winds blow.

Virgil draws his knees up. Lightning strikes a tree and Virgil screams, quickly covering his mouth. “O-Okay-“ he manages. The rain soon quickly moves to put out the fire and Nemo pokes his head in.

“Guys-“

"WHAT!?" Logan snaps thunder booms, and Logan feels his heart stop for a second. He gasps.

Virgil ducks his head and Nemo winces, wings tight against his back. “J-just take care of the kids.” He can hear them crying downstairs. Nemo leaves. Virgil glances up at Logan. “L-Lo?” Logan looks panic as he holds his chest where his heart would be. He goes flying and hits the bookshelf. Virgil stands up. “Logan!?” He cautiously moves towards him.

Logan gasps the storm rages. "C-Can't" Logan’s wrath is replaced with fear as he realizes what he has done. The trees outside bend to protect the house from the storm. Virgil kneels to him, taking his hand. He realizes he isn’t breathing. He puts Logan’s hand on his chest and takes a deep breath, hoping Logan will follow. Logan tries to. Thunder booms and his heart stops again causing him to tense. He gasps he grips his chest.

“Logan?” Virgil cries and holds him, trying to keep himself calm. “B-breathe. Please.”

"Hu...art." he pushes out as he shakes. They slide across the floor.

Virgil holds onto him. “NEMO!” He screams.

Nemo comes in, covered in ink. “I’m not doing it-“ Logan looks at him scared. He opens his mouth in a silent scream before a loud boom strikes and Logan going limp. The storm going away, returning to a clear sky.

Virgil’s eyes widen. “LOGAN!? LOGAN!!!”

Nemo stands there for a moment. He blinks and takes a deep breath.  _ ‘He’s not dead. He’s not dead. He just passed out. He’s not-‘ _

“YOU KILLED HIM!”

“V-Virgil he’s not-“

Virgil stands. “OUT!” He growls.

Nemo scrambles out the door. “Check his pulse!” He closes the bedroom door and breathes quickly, closing his eyes. Virgil looks back at Logan and frowns he checks his pulse. He can't find it.

Virgil slams his fist on the ground. “ROMAN! PATTON!”

They race up slippery from the oil. "Virgil?"

“CPR now!” Virgil starts giving chest compressions.

Patton goes over. He opens Logan's mouth then blows in. Roman looks around. "Where is the machine thing!?"

“THERE ISNT ONE HERE! CALL THE HOSPITAL!” Virgil keeps giving compressions.

Roman runs out. Patton gives more breath. "Virgil, what happened?"

“I’ll explain later,” Virgil says, tears in his eyes. Nemo slowly comes in. “I SAID, GET OUT!” Nemo quickly leaves Aquo and leaves. Virgil looks over and frowns before blinking and calling Aquo over. Aquo hands him an electro bracelet and Virgil gestures for Patton to step back he places his fingers over Logan’s chest and makes a finger gun. He dodges Logan’s arm flying out at the jolt and checks for a pulse. He finds it. He sighs in relief. He hears an ambulance arrive and goes downstairs.

A few doctors come in. "Where is he?"

“This way. We got his pulse back.” Virgil leads them upstairs. Logan coughs and sits up. Patton rubs his back.

“Logan lay down.” Virgil orders.

"What?" The doctors pick him up. "Stop spinning me."

“Close your eyes.” Virgil holds his hand. Logan closes his eyes, and the doctors bring Logan out. He lies him down in the ambulance. Nemo stands silently in the hallway, watching the ambulance leave. The door closes, and he goes back to the kids. The guards are in there, rocking Terra and George who have now fallen asleep. Nemo nods his thanks and goes back out, only to come face to face with Virgil who grabs him by his shirt. Fear floods him even though Virgil is a good five inches shorter than him. Virgil pins him to the wall. “What the hell was that!? He almost died because you wouldn’t help!?”

“Y-You d-don’t- u-under-s-stand.” Nemo freezes.

Patton goes over. "Virgil please let him go."

Virgil glares at Nemo who breathes shallowly, trying to keep his fear down for the kid’s sake. Roman comes over and places his hand on Virgil’s arm. Virgil pushes him off and drops Nemo. “I’m going to the hospital.” He walks out of the door. Nemo stays on the floor a moment, in shock. Roman looks around in confusion and disbelief. Patton kneels and hugs Nemo.

Nemo takes a deep breath, holds it, and lets it out. He keeps doing that, but it doesn’t stop him from breaking down. “I- I didn’t- I was just trying to- I couldn’t-“

"It's ok. He's alive that is all that matters." Roman kneels and rubs Nemo’s shoulder while Patton guides him through breathing exercises. 


	30. Chapter 30

Virgil waits in the hospital, bouncing his leg. A nurse comes over. "He is stable for now."

Virgil sighs. “Thank you. Do we know what the problem is?”

The nurse sits down. "We call it the death storm. Some Air people can manipulate the weather, but few can control it. When upset or angry, they cause a storm, but without proper training, their own emotions and abilities, try to kill them. Mostly in heart attacks. It's usually a problem with young Air people. Kids have a hard time controlling their emotions, but it does sometimes happen to adults who were never properly trained in elemental uses. Now I won't lie, Logan got lucky, but this can't happen again."

Virgil nods. “He’s refusing training.”

"Well, then he increases his risk of dying." Virgil covers his face. The nurse hands him a piece of paper with a number on it. "She is really good at teaching people to control their element."

“We have a teacher.” Virgil mumbles. “And I blamed him for Logan almost dying.”

The nurse frowns. "Don't blame yourself. Once the storm starts, it's almost impossible to get them to calm down."

Virgil sighs and waves the paper. “I’ll look into her. Thanks.”

The nurse nods, "We would like to keep him here if that's ok."

“Yeah, that’d probably be best.”

"Now he did hit his head. So he might not remember what happened before the storm." Virgil nods. "You can wait in his room if you like."

Virgil hesitates. “It’s okay. I don’t want to upset him. Just... call me when he wakes up.”

"Ok." The nurse stands up. Virgil goes out to his speeder and goes home.

... 

Ava and Elena are talking with Quentin. "There has to be something we can do." Ava frowns

"I can't lose my baby boy." Elena frowns and holds Ava.

Quentin frowns and holds their hands. "I will do everything in my power to help Aquarius. He will learn to contain his powers."

"You mean control?" Ava asks

"No, contain. Air is the hardest to control. It would be better, for now, to have him push his abilities down. When he is older and more mature, I will teach him to control his powers." Elena nods and looks down. "I lost a family member to the storm. I won't lose Aquarius too."

"Ok, do what you can Quentin." Ava agrees

"Of course Ava." 

Logan watches them from the top of the stairs. He holds a stuffed animal close to his chest. He goes to move when the stair gives away his location with a squeak. He freezes as the adults' lookup. Elena goes over to him.

"Aquarius what are you doing up?"

Aquarius looks down. "I got scared. I'm sorry, Mommy."

Elena picks him up and brings him over to the others. Ava pets his head. "Ok star how about you sleep with us tonight?"

Aquarius nods "Am I going to die?"

"Oh no of course not honey. You are going to live for a long time. Right, Quentin?" Ava looks at him.

Quentin nods "I will protect and guide you, little one. You will live a long successful life." Aquarius smiles and relaxes, closing his eyes.

...

Virgil gets back to the house and goes inside. Nemo is sitting on the couch with Patton and Dale. He looks over and freezes when he sees Virgil. Virgil frowns and comes closer. “They said it was a death storm. That he didn’t have proper training, and his emotions and abilities were trying to kill him by a heart attack. He narrowly survived.” Nemo looks down and nods. Virgil looks at him, still frowning. “I’m sorry... you didn’t deserve that.”

“No. You were right; I didn’t help.”

“No, you knew that wasn’t a good idea and were trying to find a healthier way.”

Nemo draws his knees up. Dale remains ready to block Virgil from getting to Nemo. “I-it’s just-“ Nemo shakes his head. “It’s fine. I don’t care.” The watch on his wrist goes off.

Nemo frowns and covers it. Virgil reaches for him. “Nemo-“ Nemo flinches and turns his head away as if expecting a hit. Dale blocks Virgil and keeps him away from Nemo. Virgil looks down and goes upstairs he finds Roman and Phil in the kids’ room. The kids sound asleep.

Roman looks up. "Hey, how's Logan?" He whispers.

“Stable for now,” Virgil whispers back.

Roman nods "Finally got the kids to sleep." Roman pets George's head.

Virgil nods. “Thank you.”

"No problem. Question though, why does it reek of lavender in here?"

“Lavender is calming to Terrorlings. Like how my room always smelled like lavender to help my anxiety.”

Roman nods "Ah, well, I'm going to go get clean up." Roman stands up.

Virgil takes George and lays him down. Phil follows Roman out.  **“Daddy?”** Terra whispers and looks behind him.

“Hey...” Virgil comes over.

**"Is Papa going to be ok?"**

“Yeah. He’ll be fine.”

**"Is someone going after him? Who’s hurting Papa?"**

“No one hurt Papa. He just needs to relearn how to use his powers like me.”

Terra nods and holds Virgil.  **“Storms are scary."**

“Yeah...” Virgil smiles softly and kisses his head. “You know what my dad told me?”

**“What?"**

“He said, ‘after the storm, look for the rainbow. You might not always be able to find it, but it’s there, promising better days ahead’.” Virgil gazes at a wall as if watching a memory. “We used to sit on the porch of my grandparent's farm during storms. We’d sit there for hours watching the wind and the rain. The rain smelled sweet, and my grandpa always said it was a blessing. Sometimes there’d be thunder and lightning, but I knew I was safe in my dad’s arms.”

**"Can we find a rainbow?"**

Virgil smiles. “Sure.” He picks Terra up and walks downstairs. Terra holds onto him and rests his head on Virgil's shoulder. They go out into the woods and find a clearing and a small hill. Virgil climbs the hill before sitting down with Terra in his lap. “Sometimes you have to wait a while to find it. It likes to hide.” Virgil says.

**"Why? Is it shy?"**

“It likes to play, hide, and seek.”

Terra nods  **"I'm great at hide and seek. I find George all the time."**

Virgil chuckles. “Then I bet you can find the rainbow.” Terra smiles and looks at the sky.

After a few minutes, he squeals and points excitedly. “ **There! There!”**

Virgil looks and sees a rainbow, though not the same as Earth’s. This rainbow has greens, yellows, and reds, with faint purple. Virgil smiles. “Good job!”

**"I found you, rainbow! You're so pretty, why do you hide?"** He smiles and giggles, bouncing in Virgil's lap.

Virgil chuckles. “The rainbow’s gonna go bye-bye in a few minutes.”

**“Can we fly to the rainbow? Can Nemo take me?”**

Virgil’s smile falls slightly. “Maybe next time.”

Terra frowns  **"Awww, why?"**

“Nemo’s tired.”

**"Oh, ok." ** He looks at the clouds,  **"That looks like a face." ** He points to the sky.

Virgil smiles. “Yeah, it does.”

**"You think Papa likes to look at the clouds?"**

“Maybe...”

**"That cloud looks like Papa. It even has a tie."**

Virgil smiles sadly. “Yeah...”

A gentle breeze blows and Terra giggles. He sees a butterfly-like creature and goes to chase it.  **"Daddy look."**

Virgil follows him and chuckles. “I see.”

Terra tries to catch it, but it gets away. ** "Aww, I just wanted to hold it."**

“Maybe next time.” Virgil smiles. Terra giggles and tackles Virgil. Virgil laughs. “Oh, no! Great Prince Terra has found me! Whatever shall I do?”

**"You have been captured. You are under arrest for being too good of a Dad. Your punishment is hugs." ** Terra giggles and hugs him. Virgil laughs and hugs him back. The wind blows harder.

Virgil looks up worriedly. “Hey... I’ll race you back to the house, your majesty.”

Terra beams. ** "Ok, ready set go!" ** Terra takes off. Virgil runs after him, looking at the sky. The wind blows in the direction of the hospital before calming down.

Virgil frowns. They get back to the house. “Go find uncle Pat, okay?”

**"Where are you going?"**

“I’m gonna go visit a friend. I’ll be back.” Virgil kisses his head and hops on the speeder, driving off.

He makes it to the hospital. The same nurse greetings him. "Come with me." She leads him to Logan's room. Logan is unconscious strap to the bed.

Virgil goes to his side and holds his hand. “He kept getting thrown around?”

"Yes, he is attached to the wind. So he goes where it blows. It's for his safety, but it spooked him when he woke up."

Virgil nods. “He guided me back here.” He rubs Logan’s hand. “Nothing good happened from being tied up.”

"He kept asking for you, so we called your house."

“I wasn’t there.”

"He should only be out for a few minutes. He's disoriented, so please stay calm and keep him calm, calm, or happy. Make him feel safe. Can you do that?"

“I’ll try.”

The nurse nods, "I'll be outside if you need me." She leaves.

Virgil kisses Logan’s head. “I’m sorry.” He whispers. A few minutes later, Logan started to stir. He tries to move, but physically, can't. He opens his eyes and squeezes Virgil's hand. Virgil smiles sadly. “Hey.”

"I can't move. Virgil? Virgil why can't move?" Panic quickly fills him.

“Shh. Breathe. You’re in the hospital right now. You’ve drained yourself and are exhausted. The wind keeps trying to throw you around the room, so we had to keep you to the bed to keep you safe.”

"I don't like it. Virgil everything is spinning." He closes his eyes.

“I know. Please rest.” Virgil continues rubbing his hand and takes a deep breath himself, letting it out slowly. He starts humming, hoping to give Logan something to focus on.

"I want to hold you." Virgil leans over and hugs him, still humming. He pets his hair. 

“Stardust...

In you and in me.

Fuse us...

Into unity.

Primeval...

We're coupled...

Born from... the universe.”

Farewell.

The void is caaalling.

Don't fear...

For futures and dreams.

They're fleeting, retreating.

It's ok.

I prooomise...

I don't know what to say...

But I'm going to want you till the stars evaporate.

We're only here for just a moment in the light.

One day it shines for us the next we're in the night.

So say the word, and I'll be running back to find youuuu...

A thousand armies won't stop me I'll break throughhhh...

I'll soar the endless skies for only one siiight,

Of your starliiiiiight...”

Logan relaxes, losing his grip on Virgil's hand. Virgil continues to hold him, petting him. Logan leans into his touch. "Can you untie me?" Virgil closes his eyes. Before he even makes his decision, his hand is reaching down to the straps, undoing them and freeing Logan. He sits on the bed next to him and holds him. Logan holds him tight.

Virgil massages his neck, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry... I never meant to make you feel less than me. I just wanted to protect you...”

"Why am I here? What happened?"

Virgil sighs. “I’ll explain later. Just rest.”

Logan sighs "I-I'm scared." Logan admits. "I feel weird."

“I know...” Virgil hesitates for a moment. “You... you overused your powers and went into a death storm. You had a heart attack and almost died.”

Logan's eyes widen. "No..." He sounds broken, weak.

Virgil frowns and cups his face. “Look at me. I want to help, but you have to let me.” He bites back tears. “You- you weren’t trained. I wasn’t trained. Neither of us was prepared-“  _ ‘Virgil calm down. Keep him calm.’  _ Virgil takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry I did this to you.”

"Did what?"

Virgil gestures to them. “This- this panic. This fear of losing me.” Virgil shakes his head. “You begged me to stop, and I was stubborn, and I’m sorry. Please don’t make the same mistakes as me. Please.”

Logan looks down. "I just went flying. I didn't... It shouldn't..." He sighs, "I tried to get up. I really did, but I couldn't. Now I'm here and almost died." Tears feel his eyes.

Virgil holds him close. “We got in a fight. It was my fault, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

"I don't remember."

“I know. You hit your head.”

Logan closes his eyes. "Hold me tight." Virgil squeezes his eyes shut and holds him tightly.

To Virgil, Logan is as solid as he should be. To Logan, he feels like he might vanish into thin air. “I’ve got you,” Virgil whispers. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m never letting you go. I love you. I love you so much.”

"I love you too. I don't want to vanish."

“You won’t vanish. I promise. Please just let me help.”

"Ok, ok." Virgil sighs and keeps him close. Logan takes a deep breath, finally calming himself down.

...

Virgil blinks awake, having fallen asleep with Logan. Logan holds him close to this twin size bed. He seems at peace. Virgil pets his head, noting they’re still on the bed and didn’t get thrown off.  _ ‘He must have calmed down.’ _ Logan nuzzles his chest. Virgil kisses his head and closes his eyes. He might as well practice while he waits.  _ ‘Okay... give away a part of myself. Let it be a cycle...’  _ he reaches out, feeling through the forest. He tries to relax, but something stops him, some fear of letting go, of not having control. He keeps trying, but his fear just grows and grows. He panics, and it feels like he’s suffocating, buried beneath the surface. He opens his eyes and gasps for air, looking around and finding he’s still in the hospital, Logan still sound asleep. He sighs and closes his eyes again, waiting.


	31. Chapter 31

Logan was the next one to wake up Virgil asleep next to him. He sighs and closes his eyes a moment he focuses on pushing his powers down. He won't disappear, no more using his powers. It was foolish to go fly for hours. He should have been smarter. He pushes the guilt down. He remembers the lessons Quentin taught him. A part of him says not to, but another part rationalizes that Quentin was still a scholar so he must know what he is talking about, right? Logan opens his eyes. He kisses Virgil's cheek. "I love you." Virgil hums in his sleep and nuzzles Logan. Logan holds him close. "I love you so much." He whispers, "You are always there for me, and I want to be there for you. Please let me help you."

Virgil sighs and blinks. “Lo?” He slowly looks up.

Logan pets his head. "Hello love." Virgil smiles and kisses him. Logan gently kisses him back. He looks down, not knowing what to say anymore.

Virgil holds him and gazes at him, holding his hand. “How do you feel?”

"Solid."

Virgil smiles. “Do you want me to ask the nurse how long they want you to stay?”

Logan shrugs, "I don't care."

Virgil slides off the bed and stretches. He looks back at Logan. “Are you hungry?” Logan nods Virgil goes out to the nurses’ station.

"Hello, is everything ok?"

“Yeah, he seems to be doing better now. How long until he’s released and can we get some food?”

"We can get you some food, but Logan can't leave. Because of how close he came to death, we can't release him until we are confident he can control his abilities." Virgil nods. "I will send you some food." The nurse offers a smile.

“Thank you.” Virgil smiles back and goes towards the room. He pauses and goes down the hall to a quiet spot, pulling out his phone and calls Nemo.

"Hello?"

“Hey...”

"Is everything ok? How's Logan?"

“He’s getting better. He’s not flying around the room anymore. They want to keep him until they’re sure he can control his powers...” Virgil goes silent.

"... That might be for the best."

Virgil bites his tongue. “Nemo I am so so sorry...” his voice trembles.

"I forgive you."

Virgil covers his mouth and focuses on his breathing for a moment. “Are you okay?” He finally asks.

"Yeah, don't worry about me." The watch beeps in Virgil's ear.

“Nemo-“

"Just focus on Logan." Nemo hangs up. Virgil closes his eyes and lowers his phone. He puts it away and slowly walks back to Logan’s room.

Logan is curl up shaking. "I don't want to go."

Virgil frowns and goes to him. “Lo?”

Logan looks at Virgil. "Virgil help I don't want to go."

Virgil holds his hand. “You’re not going anywhere. I promise.”

Logan hugs him tight. The nurse comes in. "You took the straps off?" She frowns

“Yes, nothing’s happened. Just leave them off.” Virgil pets his head.

"I don't want to vanish." Logan cries.

The nurse sighs and puts the tray down. She goes to the closet and pulls out a weighted blanket. She lays it on Logan, and he starts to calm down. "Air people, when connected to the wind, can feel like they're weightless and will just blow away. This is physically impossible, but the mind doesn't know that. Keeping pressure on him will help him feel grounded and more solid." The nurse explains. Virgil nods. "In any case, I have brought you two food, and I have called the elemental expert. She will be here shortly."

“Okay.” The nurse nods and leaves. Logan squeezes Virgil. Virgil holds him tightly. “Here.” Virgil picks up the food and offers it to him. Logan picks up the toast and eating it. Virgil sits with him. They sit in silence a hundred thoughts in their heads but neither can think of what to say. So in silence, they stay holding each other's hand. Logan finishes eating and rest his head on Virgil's shoulder. Virgil nuzzles him and closes his eyes. Logan kisses his hand and closes his eyes, rubbing his thumb on Virgil's knuckles. There’s a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opens, and a female Stellio of Protection steps in. “Logan Aquarius? Virgil Sanders?” She looks up from her clipboard. Virgil immediately goes into analyzing.

"Yes." She smiles and sits down.

“My name is Dr. Aldea. I was called to help give you some tips on safely utilizing your powers if that is okay with you?” Logan nods "Ok, so what seems to be the problem. Are you having a hard time controlling your emotions?"

"No, I control my emotions just fine."

Aldea nods "Ok if emotions aren't the problem then... well you tell me. What do you think the problem is?"

"If I knew I wouldn't need you." Logan snaps a little. Virgil squeezes Logan’s hand. Logan sighs "Sorry." 

"It's ok I'm just trying to help."

Logan thinks, "I thought I control my powers well. I just went flying for a few hours."

"Logan, do you control your powers or do you push them down until you want to use them?" Logan goes silent. “Did you feel like you were out of control? Like the wind was trying to push you around or that you were simply going to vanish into thin air and never return?”

Logan looks down. "Yes."

“That’s because you are the wind. You naturally want to be in unison with your element, but you don’t know how. You end up just being dragged around instead of actually riding it through.” Logan stays silent, but he is taking in every word. Aldea continues, "You are scared of your element, aren't you?" Logan nods "You need to trust your element. Let it guide you."

"I can't," he mumbles and closes his eyes.

“Who is someone you trust without a doubt in your mind?”

"Virgil." Logan answers

Virgil holds Logan and Aldea nods. “How did you come to trust him?”

Logan thinks, "I... don't know. He just always seems to be right about things." 

“Okay. What makes a good relationship?”

"Trust, communication."

Aldea nods. “How do you build trust?”

"Time? faith? I don't know! Its weird trust is this... something that can be fast to gain or slow to gain, but it is always fast to lose and once you lose it. You never get it back."

Aldea nods again. “You’re right. Do you trust yourself?” Logan opens his mouth, ready to defend himself. To say that, of course, he trusts himself until he realizes that he doesn't trust himself. He closes his mouth and looks down in shame. He tries to hide behind Virgil not liking this. He doesn't like being open. Aldea frowns "Logan; it's ok. You don't need to feel ashamed." Logan squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe he can will her way. Wait, no that stupid. Logan sighs. Virgil holds Logan protectively. “You did well. You figured out what you need to work on.” Virgil gives her a ‘go away’ look. "Logan I'm only here to help I understand this is hard for you-"

“Out.” Virgil glares at her.

She sighs, "Ok, we can take a break." She stands up and leaves. Virgil holds Logan and nuzzles him.

Logan relaxes. "Thanks..."

“Yeah.” Logan goes to sit up. Virgil lets him

Logan stretches and looks out the window. "Virgil, do you trust yourself?"

Virgil thinks. “Maybe not as much as I need to...”

"Do you trust me?"

“Yes.”

"Why?"

Virgil thinks. That storm scared him. It scared him when Logan told him how he truly felt. But even after that, he still trusts Logan with his life. “Because you haven’t abandoned me. Because you love me, and I know you’ll do everything in your power to take care of me. Because you’re you.”

Logan looks down. "I know he tried to kill me... Kill hundreds. But a part of me still trusts what he taught me. Like he couldn't be all wrong. Right?" Logan looks at Virgil. "Is that crazy?"

Virgil shakes his head. “No. He taught you young. Of course, part of you still trusts him.”

"He told me... That I have a storm in me." He points in at his chest. "And if I ever let it out. I would destroy everything. So he taught me to bury my feelings. Because if I never got mad, then I wouldn't destroy anything."

Virgil frowns. “But then it would destroy you...”

"Yeah but..." Logan doesn't finish knowing Virgil would counter anything he said. Virgil watches him sadly. Logan sighs "I'm scared of my element. I'm scared of what I can do. I promised myself I would only use it for self-defense. To run away." He looks defeated.

“And you can. But...” Virgil looks down. “You have to learn to use it safely.”

"I don't even want these powers. I want to be normal. With a normal family and a normal teacher." Virgil stays quiet. Logan sighs he gets out of bed. He starts pacing.

“Breathe...” Virgil encourages.

"I am I just need to move." Virgil nods and stays quiet again. Logan thinks then he stops moving. He looks at his hands. He takes a deep breath and moves his hand around his other hand. A small ball of air forms. Virgil watches him. Logan's heart races he looks at the ball he tries to take a deep breath. The ball rises with his breathing. He focuses on trying to keep it small. He tries really hard, but it only takes a side thought of it going wrong for the ball to quickly expand and blow everything in the room. Logan falls to the ground from the blast.

Virgil gets up off the floor and quickly goes to him. “Logan?” He kneels to him.

"I-I'm ok." Logan shakily stands up. Virgil helps support him. Logan falls onto Virgil. Then he goes past him falling to the ground. Logan looks confused then looks at his transparent form. His eyes widen he get blowing out the window and into the air. He wants to scream but has no voice. The wind takes him away. Far away from the hospital. He flies between the leaves of trees; everything just pushes past him. He looks around, scared.

Virgil holds Logan's tense, stiff body his eyes open. Logan's breathing the only thing showing that he's not dead. “Logan? Logan!?” Virgil gently shakes him, not sure what to do. “LOGAN!!!!”

The nurse and Aldea come in. "What happened?" Aldea asks the nurse goes over to look Logan over.

“He- He just- airball- and he-“ Virgil shakes his head.

The nurse shines a light in Logan's eyes. "He's hallucinating." Aldea grabs the weighted blanket and puts it on, Logan.

"He thinks he's the wind. We need to pull him out." Virgil bites his lip harshly, squeezing Logan’s hand.

"Why is he so stiff?" The nurse asks

"Because he's fighting it." Aldea pulls out a sewing needle. She moves the blanket away and looks for a nerve.

“What are you doing!?” Virgil asks.

"I'm going to send a pain signal to remind the brain that he has a body." Aldea grabs Logan's arm. Virgil bites his lip harder and draws blood he winces and licks his lips. Aldea pricks Logan which startles him, and he blinks. Aldea and the nurse move back. Virgil holds him tightly. 

"I-I" Logan looks around.

Aldea shh’s him. "Logan breath. You were hallucinating but your back now." Logan remains tense and confused. Virgil pets his head and takes deep breaths. Logan looks at Virgil then at the other two. He doesn't know what to do or how to feel. So he starts crying. A sob breaks out of him. It starts to rain outside. Virgil squeezes his eyes shut and holds him tightly. The lights flicke and the trees bend to try and protect the building. Aldea frowns "You two need to calm down. Everything-"

"Shut up!" Logan yells. The building shakes and Virgil trembles. 

_ ‘Need to get out. I need to keep him safe. Need to go.’ _ The window flies open, and Virgil picks Logan up, jumping out.

"Virgil!" Aldea runs to the window. She sees them gliding to the ground on an air current. They land and a tunnel forms, Virgil running in with Logan in his arms. Aldea calls the cops "Yes Virgil has taken Logan out of the hospital. They both are a danger to themselves. Please get them back here."

...

Virgil pants as he runs, slowing down and stopping. He sets Logan down and breathes heavily.

Logan looks at him, scared. "What was that? Why are we running?" He wipes at his eyes.

“I... too much noise. Too much pressure. We couldn’t breathe.”

Logan nods "I don't... What happened?"

“You tried to use your powers. You had it for a moment, then panicked and it exploded. You started hallucinating then they wouldn’t stop talking, and I had to get you out of there.” Virgil frowns.

Logan looks down. "I... I couldn't talk." Virgil scoots closer and holds him. Logan leans on him. "I wanted to get back, but... I felt like... I had no control." Virgil nods.

Logan closes his eyes. "Virgil? Logan?" Terrance’s voice calls out. Virgil squeezes his eyes shut. He picks up Logan and starts running again. "Virgil?" Logan holds him. Terrance's voice echos on the walls "Logan needs to come back!"

“No! They’re not helping!” Virgil keeps running.

"VIRGIL YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING!" Terrance runs after them.

“NEITHER DO YOU!” The ceiling starts falling behind him. Terrance dodges the falling chunks of dirt and rock, making it through just before the tunnel is blocked. He keeps running after them. "Virgil please let's talk about this." Logan hides his face.

"Virgil stop." Virgil holds him protectively; tears blurring his vision as the ground shakes. He trips and falls, taking the brunt with Logan landing on top of him. He curls around Logan and breathes quickly. "Virgil?" Logan cubs his face.

It’s hard to see in the dim light, but he can feel his cheeks are wet. Pebbles fall from the ceiling and walls and Terrance catches up. “Virgil-“ Virgil lets out a scream, and the cavern walls move closer together, creating a small room of safety. Logan holds Virgil tightly. Terrance goes over to them. "Virgil-" Virgil chokes back a sob and buries his face against Logan. The ground continues to shake as he trembles, unable to breathe properly, the only air able to make it to his lungs are small gasps and hiccups.

Logan rubs his back. "Virgil breath." Logan sends air into his nose and mouth like an air mask but more controlled. Gently breeze in. Virgil relaxes a bit and opens his eyes which are now rimmed with green. He gazes at Logan. Logan kisses his head. "I've got you." Virgil lays his head against him and sighs. Logan rocks him.

The ground quiets in its shaking, and Virgil holds his hand. “Thank you...” he whispers,

"Of course." Logan pets his head. "I love you."

“I love you too.” Virgil kisses his cheek. They sit in comfortable silence for a moment until Terrance coughs.

"Oh, right." Logan blushes "Virgil; we need to get out of here." Virgil sighs and the roof opens, stairs forming up to it.

Terrance goes over to them and offers a hand. "Come on, let's get you back to the hospital." Logan frowns and looks down.

Virgil holds him protectively. “We’re not going back to the hospital.”

"Virgil-"

“We’re not. Going. Back.”

"Virgil stop being stubborn! You two need help."

“They aren’t helping! We don’t trust them!”

"Do you trust me?"

Virgil bites his lip. He looks at Terrance and wants to say yes, but right now he’s scared and doesn’t want him to take Logan away. “I don’t trust the law.” He finally says.

Terrance frowns and deflates. "I'm not asking you to trust the law. I'm asking you to trust  _ me _ ."

Virgil holds Logan tighter, tears in his eyes. He looks like a scared child, desperately trying to protect what he loves most. “We’re not going back. Please don’t make us go back.”

Terrance sighs "Would you go to Emile?" Virgil hesitates. "You trust Emile, right? She will keep you safe and help you. Virgil please I just want to help you."

Logan looks at Virgil. "I'm ok with Emile." Virgil closes his eyes and nods.

"Ok I'm going to call her, and I'll tell the troops to back off."

"Are you going to lie to them?"

"No, I will tell the hospital that I have found a solution that will make everyone happy." Logan nods and relaxes. Virgil rests his head against Logan. Terrance goes up the steps Logan nuzzles Virgil.


	32. Chapter 32

Emile opens her door for Logan and Virgil. "Make yourselves at home." Emile’s house smells strongly of Lavender. Virgil clings to Logan as they move to the couch. Logan lays down and puts Virgil on top of him. Emile goes to the kitchen. "You want tea? Hot cocoa? Water?"

"Tea," Logan asks

“I’m good.” Virgil mumbles.

Emile nods "Ok." Logan massages Virgil's head. Virgil relaxes slightly.

Logan holds him lovingly. "Relax Virgil. Let me take care of you for once." Virgil sighs and nuzzles him.

“Okay... I’ll... I’ll try.”

Logan kisses his cheek. "Thank you for getting me out of there."

Virgil smiles and nods. “You helped... your wind carried us down safely. You helped me breathe.”

Logan blinks "I... I did." He sounds surprised even though he remembers doing those things it's like it just connected that he  _ did _ those things.

Virgil smiles softly and kisses him. “My hero.” Logan blushes and can't help feel pride rise in him he smiles and nuzzles Virgil. Virgil giggles a bit and relaxes against him. He knows he’ll be okay if Logan’s there. They can face anything if they’re together.

Emile sets a cup of tea and a glass of water down. "When you two are ready, call me." She smiles then goes upstairs. Logan goes and picks up his tea.

Virgil sits up, so he has space to move. He looks down and pokes at the couch. “We worked together...”

"Hmm?" Logan sips his tea.

“With our powers... I jumped from the second story without thinking, yet somehow I knew we were going to be okay...”

"You jumped out the window. I reacted without thinking." 

Virgil shrugs. “So did I. You were panicking, and I had to help you...” he frowns. “Nemo said something about nature elements being empathetic...”

"Empathetic?"

“Nature and water. We’re supposedly able to read the emotional state of someone easily. Besides that, I know you.”

"I'm supposed to be calm. Go with the flow, so to speak." Logan shrugs "I think too much to go with the flow."

Virgil smirks. “That’s not a bad thing...”

"I think it is. Aldea was right. I just didn't want to admit it." Virgil nods slowly. "I'm fighting my element because I'm scared. Because I'm scared, I can't control it."

“You’re right. You can’t control it. And you think too much to go with the flow.” Virgil turns him to look at him. “But you are your own storm. You’re so focused on trying to control the weather that you're missing what you really need to focus on. Yourself. The weather follows you. Channel your thoughts into what you want to do. Like moving your arm, your element is an extension of you.” Virgil blinks. “How did I know that!?”

"I don't know but thank you." Virgil nods slowly. Logan puts his cup down, and he stands up. Virgil lays down and watches him. Logan forms an airball in his hand again. Virgil quietly gets up and walks over. He gently places his hand on Logan’s shoulder for reassurance. Logan takes deep breaths the ball expands and shrinks with his breaths. Virgil smiles and follows his breathing. "I'm scared."

“It’s okay. You’ve got this. Let it dissipate.” Virgil encourages and rubs his arm. Logan takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. The ball goes away calmly. Virgil kisses his cheek. “You did so well.”

Logan smiles and leans on Virgil. "Thank you for believing in me."

Virgil holds him. “Of course.” Logan closes his eyes and relaxes. They sit back down on the couch, and Virgil massages his neck. He closes his eyes and sighs, his mind wandering off. He smells the minty aroma of the forest he can feel the calmness of the plants. A gentle breeze blows through them, and he senses Logan near. His branches sway happily and reach out to Logan.

Logan chuckles "Virgil."

Virgil smiles and lets himself drift back to the couch where he and Logan are holding each other. He opens his eyes and smiles at him. “I felt you.”

"Of course you did. You're holding me."

Virgil smirks and nuzzles him. “Out there... I felt you. You were the wind, and I was a tree.”

Logan chuckles "Yeah... Maybe... My powers aren't that scary after all." Virgil covers his face in kisses. Logan giggles "Virgil that tickles."

Virgil smirks and keeps at it. “I love you.”

"I love you too." Logan blushes Virgil keeps him close, smiling.

...

Logan and Virgil open the door to their house holding hands. Terra looks up from tackling Roman to the ground.  **"Daddy! Papa!"** He rushes over to them. Logan picks him up smiling.

Roman stands up. "Where have you been!? You have been out all day!"

“Sorry... we had to take care of some things,” Virgil says.

Roman sighs "I'm just glad you two are alright. Logan, how's the heart?"

"My heart is fine Roman." Logan puts Terra down. Terra runs upstairs.

“Where’s Nemo?” Virgil asks.

"He and his guards went for a fly not so long ago. Patton went with him. Patton said he needed some cheering up. He always has a way of knowing when someone is down." Roman chuckles.

Logan frowns "I hope he's not still upset about the whole thing. There wasn't much he could do."

Virgil looks down. “I’ll be back.” He silently slips out the door.

Logan frowns and follows him. "Virgil-"

Virgil turns around. “I need a moment.”

Logan frowns "Ok... You want me to stand back?"

“I’m gonna go for a walk.” Virgil heads into the forest.

Logan sighs and goes back inside. Terra comes back down with a piece of paper.  **"Papa here!"**

Logan takes the card. "What's this?"

**"It's a 'get better' card. I made it for you."** Logan smiles and opens it.

"Thank you, Terra, I love it."

Terra beams and hugs Logan.  **"I love you, Papa."**

"I love you too."

Terra looks around and frowns.  **"Where's Daddy?"**

Logan frowns a little. "He needed to go out for a minute."

Terra pouts  **"But he's been gone all day!"** Logan looks at Roman for some help.

Roman sighs. "How about we continue our quest, young prince?"

Terra looks down.  **"I don't feel like it."**

Roman frowns. "Okay, how about we go get ice cream from Uncle Remy?"

**"Ok."** Logan picks him up.

"I'll come with you. Oh, Roman grab George. We will all go out for ice cream." Roman goes upstairs and comes back down a moment later with a sleepy George. George rubs his eyes. Logan goes over and kisses his head. "We are getting ice cream. You want some ice cream?"

George perks up a little. "Ice cweam!"

Roman chuckles. "An epic quest! To the ice cream king!"

...

Nemo lands with Patton, the guards landing behind them. He walks to the cliff and looks over the ocean, the breeze blowing salty mist into his face. His shoulders seem to ease as he takes a deep breath. Patton smiles and sits down. "Thanks for the lift, Nemo."

"Yeah. No problem." Nemo sits next to him.

"Hey Nemo, how do you make an Octopus laugh?"

Nemo raises a brow. "I... don't know?"

"With ten-tickles." Patton giggles Nemo snorts and covers his beak. "What do you call a fish that needs help with their vocals?"

"What?"

"An Autotuna!"

Nemo shakes his head, smirking. "I think it would be funnier if I knew what a tuna was."

"Its a type of fish. I guess Earth jokes go over your head." Nemo tilts his head. "You don't know metaphors, do you?" Nemo shakes his head. "So a metaphor is like an expression that you don't take literally. Like if I say its raining cats and Dogs it doesn't mean it's actually raining cats and dogs, it means its raining pretty hard."

"Oh." Nemo looks down. "So... Can that... be used for negative things too?"

"Sure, there are metaphors like you have a short fuse, or I'm on a sinking ship with no lifeboat. Traveling a rocky road. Oh, Sometimes Roman can be stubborn as a mule."

Nemo blinks. "A... mule?"

"A mule is like a horse." Patton chuckles, "Its an Earth thing." Patton looks over the ocean. "I miss Earth. it's not perfect, but it's my home."

Nemo nods. "I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault. I don't blame anyone. Sometimes you can't control what happened. I didn't know this would happen if I became friends with Virgil. Logan didn't know what would happen when he came to Earth. It just happened. We made choices. Then we make more choices. Sometimes they're good choices sometimes they're bad. All I can really do now is look to the future and hope I make good choices along the way, and if I make a bad choice. Then I fix it and move on."

Nemo listens thoughtfully before looking back at the ocean. "But what if you just keep making bad choices... and no matter what you do you can't stop?"

"Well, then you ask for help. Sometimes you can feel like you're lost in the dark. You can't see where you're going, and every step feels like it might be your last. At that point, you could choose three options. One you keep blindingly going forward and hope for the best. Two, you sit down and give up or three, you ask for help and let someone guide you out of the dark once you can see again. Things become clear, and the feeling that you have people ready to back you up makes you feel like you're not alone."

Nemo picks at his feathers and watches them float down to land in the water. "But what if someone who promised to help you-" he swallows. "What if they actually hate you?"

"Virgil doesn't hate you." Patton smirks "I've known Virgil since we were kids. He's overprotective and quick to lash out when he thinks someone hurt someone he cares about. At the beginning Roman thought, Virgil hated him too, but when they finally sat down and had a talk Roman found out that he was just scared. Virgil lost his father. There was nothing he could to stop it, but that gave him a sense of hopelessness and out of power and control. Virgil likes to be in control. He likes to know that everyone is ok and when they're not, he gets passionate." Patton sighs "Virgil thinks that if he just tried hard enough maybe he could have saved his dad. That somehow he could have stopped it. So when Logan almost died. He felt powerless. He was scared, and you were scared too. Neither of you knew what do to. Virgil panic and got angry. 'If Nemo just had done something, If I just did something.'" Patton looks at Nemo. "There was nothing either of you could do. Not in that moment and in time Virgil will see that."

Nemo looks down again and sighs. "Thanks."

Patton holds his hand. "You're stuck in the dark. Let us help you see the light so you can look for a better future. One where you're not scared. Everyone deserves to be happy, even bird fish people." 

Nemo smirks. "Syrni." His smiles slowly fall, and he rests his head on his knees. The guards move closer, Dale kneeling beside him, offering some comfort. Nemo glances up at them, remembering their vow to him. He didn't do that. He didn't ask for that. Out of their own free will, they dedicated their lives to his safety.

"Nemo, what's wrong?" Patton frowns

"I- nothing." The watch beeps, and Nemo sighs. "I hate that thing."

"If you don't want to talk about it. Then you can just say so but don't feel like you have to lie about how you're feeling. I did that once, and Roman yelled my ear off." Patton giggles

Nemo smiles softly and holds himself. "I... I don't know." Dale glances back at Phil who stays silent.

"Sir... Is it about... him?"

Nemo closes his eyes. "Yes."

"Would you like me to explain for you?" Nemo looks up at him, smiling slightly out of thankfulness. He nods. Dale looks at Patton. "A man approached Nemo soon after his return and claimed him as his mate. The relationship has been unhealthy, and the man- Akui, is set up to become king when the time comes. They have been trying to have an heir, but the prince..."

"I'm barren..." Nemo mumbles.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That's awful." Patton looks down. "I bet he told you that you're nothing without him." Patton hugs his knees. He looks out at the ocean.

Nemo looks at him. "H-How-"

“His name was Damien. A real charmer." Patton smirks "He played the long game."

Nemo frowns. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. He got what he deserved. When Roman and Virgil found out." Patton chuckles "They beat the shit out of him. I never saw him again. I don't usually like violence, but after a year of feeling like Damien was the only one 'protecting' me. I saw the light the day Roman, and Virgil proved him wrong. They stood up for me even when I didn't think I deserve it. I felt like nothing, and when he was gone, I still felt like  _ I _ did something wrong that it was my fault if  _ I _ was just better. If  _ I _ just listened to him more and did what he said. Then he wouldn't..." Patton closes his eyes. Nemo holds his hand. Patton relaxes "People like them are predators. They only care about themselves. We are nothing but trophies to them. They feel our heads with lies so we will stay with them. It takes someone who really cares about you to get you out." Patton looks up. "Like Roman. He came in and saved me, protected me. He loves me, really loves me. He was gentle and carrying. He paid for my therapy and guided me until I was ready. He was patient I cried a lot. It wasn't easy. It will never be easy but when I got with Roman. The way he holds me was 200% better than Damian." 

Nemo smiles softly. "I'm glad..."

"I bet you will find someone who really loves you." Patton smiles at him. "You’re a great guy." Nemo smiles and looks down. Patton hugs him.

Nemo leans on him. "Thank you..."

"Of course, that's what friends are for." The guards turn, and Dale stands. Nemo tenses and looks behind them. Virgil is making his way out of the forest, hesitantly. Patton stands up. "It's ok." Patton goes over to Virgil. "Hey."

"Hey..." Virgil glances at Nemo. "Can I... talk to you? For a moment?"

Nemo slowly nods and motions for the guards to let him through. Patton whispers in Virgil's ear. "You have a nasty habit of making people think you hate them." he smirks "Go set the record straight." Patton pats his back and goes to give them space. Virgil bites his lip and goes to Nemo. He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, clutching it in his hand he looks at Nemo and offers it to him. Nemo takes it. It's a necklace with a pendant made of wood with a sea-goat engraved on it.

"Virgil you didn't have to give me anything."

Virgil shakes his head. "I am so sorry... I shouldn't have said what I did. It wasn't true. It wasn't your fault. There was nothing either of us could do. I was just scared and lashed out, but you didn't deserve that."

Nemo looks down at the necklace then at Patton who smiles and nods a distance away. Nemo smiles and puts the necklace on. "I forgive you." Virgil smiles and hugs him. Nemo hugs him back. "I'll try... I'll try not to lash out again."

"I'll try... I don't know. I'll try to be a better person?"

Virgil shakes his head. "You are a good person. You don't need to try."

"It might take a long time, but I hope to one day find my way out of the dark," he smirks remember what Patton told him.

Virgil smiles and squeezes him. "Come on. Let's go back home..."

Nemo stands up. "Yeah..." he looks at the ocean. Virgil holds his hand and follows his gaze. "I should be home." he closes his eyes.

Virgil frowns and squeezes his hand. "Are you ready, though?"

"No... But if I don't stop him, who will?"

Virgil looks down for a moment before cupping his face. "We'll go with you. You don't have to do this alone."

Nemo is about to tell him no. That, this isn't his problem. Then he looks at Virgil's determined face. He looks at Patton's caring face.  _ 'let someone guide you out. The feeling you have people ready to back you up makes you feel like you're not alone. Let us help you. Everyone deserves to be happy. _ ' Nemo smiles.

"Thank you. I would like that."


	33. Chapter 33

They get back to the house, dinner ready and Logan, Terra, Roman, and George already eating.

Roman smiles at him. "Welcome back." Patton goes over and kisses Roman. Terra doesn't lookup like he's trying to ignore Virgil.

Virgil works on making a plate for everyone coming in. "Smells delicious, guys!" He passes them to Nemo who gives a plate to each of the guards, then one for himself.

"Thank you, Virgil." Logan kisses his cheek.

Virgil kisses his cheek in return and sits on the counter, Nemo and the guards had found seats on the couch and the others at the table. "I'm going with Nemo to Atlanium, and I was wondering who is going to come with?”

"I'll go." Patton smiles

"I go where Patton goes." Roman smirks

"Yeah your not going without me." Logan winks at Virgil. Terra pouts.

Virgil smiles, lovingly at Logan. Nemo looks up and glances at Terra. "What about you? Where do you want to go?" He asks, trying to make him feel included.

**"Nowhere."** Terra pushes his plate away and storms off upstairs.

Logan frowns "Terra." He stands up.

Virgil frowns and places his hand on Logan's shoulder. He glances at Nemo who gives him a 'you need to talk to him now' look. He nods and goes upstairs. "Terra?" He finds him in his room, throwing clothes into a small bag. Virgil steps in. "Hey... what's up?"

**"I'm leaving."**

"O-Okay? But we aren't going until tomorrow-"

**"No! I'm leaving. I'm going to go find a better family."**

"W-What?" Virgil blinks. Terra zips up his bag and goes past Virgil. "Terra! Terra wait!" Virgil catches up to him.

Terra goes down the stairs. Logan frowns. "Terra where are you going?"

**"Away."**

Virgil takes Terra's hand. "Terra please, talk to us-"

"What is going on?" Logan gets closer.

Terra pulls his hand back and points at Logan.  **"You keep dying."** He points at Virgil.  **"And you keep leaving!" ** Tears fill his eyes.  **"Why do you keep leaving me? Did I do something wrong?"**

“No! You did nothing wrong! Things just keep coming up.” Virgil kneels in front of Terra.

Terra looks away.  **"If you're too busy for me, then just say it."**

"Terra you are blowing this up out of proportion. Virgil and I love you, and I'm sorry you feel abandoned but running away isn't going to solve that."

Terra frowns and pulls his arm from Virgil. He goes towards the door. “Wait-“ he slams the door in Virgil’s face. 

Logan opens the door to chase Terra. "Terra come back here this instance!" Logan runs down the street. "Terra stop." Terra keeps running. Logan has a strong wind blow Terra backward he hits the ground. "This won't fix anything and what about George? You just going to leave him to?" Tears well up in Terra’s eyes and he draws his knees up, crying. Logan kneels and hugs him. "I'm sorry." Terra grips him. Logan holds him tight. "I love you so much. I don't want you to leave." Terra sobs. Logan picks him up. "Ok, let's go home." Logan starts walking back. Terra doesn’t fight him. Logan walks back into the house with Terra in his arms. Nemo paces and looks up when they come in, Virgil not there. "Where's Virgil?"

“Upstairs,” Nemo says. Logan notices the plants seem to be receding into their planters instead of displaying proudly like they usually do.

Logan goes upstairs. "Virgil? I got Terra back. I believe we need to have a talk." Virgil rests against the bedroom door, trying to take deep breaths.

...

Nine-year-old Virgil crawls out of his bedroom window with just a backpack and his clothes. The arguing was too much. He couldn’t take it anymore. So he ran, he ran as far as he could, the moonlight guiding his way. He gets to the park, panting. He’d never done anything like this before. No, the night was scary, you never knew what was lurking about. But the moonlight kept him safe. He looks up at the starry sky with wide eyes.

He hears a branch snap behind him and gasps, hiding behind the bench. He hears footsteps grow closer and curls up tightly, willing them away. He feels a hand on his back and screams, throwing himself off the bench and taking off. “Kid-“

He keeps running, only glancing back once. A tall figure stands in the moonlight. He can’t make out his face, but he seems to have his long hair pulled back into a low ponytail, dressed in armor and... pointy ears. “DAAAAAAD!” Virgil keeps running, getting lost in the night.

...

Virgil blinks and loses his balance as the door opens behind him. He stumbles and catches himself before he falls. "Virgil?" Logan looks at him with concern. Terra curls up, holding, sobbing and hiding in Logan. Virgil shakes his head and sits on the bed, patting the spot next to him. Logan goes and sits down. He rubs Terra's back. "Terra you need to believe us when we say we aren't doing this on purpose. We are just dealing with something that you might not understand but are still important."

Terra just sniffles and hiccups. Virgil holds Terra’s hand. “We love you, Terra... deeply.”

...

“Why did you run away!?” Virgil’s father holds him while his husband paces the living room.

“YOU’RE GROUNDED!”

“Jeremy.” 

“OF ALL THE IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS YOU COULD DO-“

“Jeremy!” Thomas says firmly. Virgil hides against him, sobbing.

“I-I’m s-s-orr-ry-“

“You damn well be sorry!”

Thomas gets up, carrying Virgil. “Enough.” He goes out to the car and sits Virgil down. He kisses his head. “I’ll grab our things, and we’ll go to grandpa’s house, okay?” He offers a smile and wipes Virgil’s tears. Virgil’s hiccups and nods.

...

“I-“ Terra hiccups. “I’m sorry.”

Virgil blinks and looks up. He gently pulls Terra into his lap and holds him. “We forgive you. Just please don’t do it again.”

"Let's work this out together." Logan holds Terra's and Virgil's hand. "We are a family and family stick together."

Virgil smirks a bit. “Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.”

Terra looks up at Logan and Virgil. Logan wipes his tears away. "There will be times where we need to go somewhere. Or do something, but we will never just forget about you. You are our son, and we just want to protect you. We don't want you to get hurt." Terra smiles a bit through his tears and nods. "Now Nemo needs our help. A bad man is trying to take over his kingdom, and we can't let that happen. It's too dangerous for you to come along." Logan wipes his tears away.

**"You promise you will come back?"**

"We will always come back to you." Logan smiles.

Virgil kisses his head. “We promise.” Terra hugs them.

Logan chuckles. He looks down at Terra. "Are we good?" Terra nods "See? Is this better than running off?" Logan tickles him a little. 

Terra giggles  **"Yes."** Virgil smirks. Logan continues to tickle Terra. Terra squirms and falls backward onto the bed.  **"Daddy, help!"** He laughs Virgil chuckles and tickles him as well. Terra trashes.  **"Noooo!"** He laughs and curls up.

Logan smirks "What's the matter?"

Virgil giggles and stops. “Have you learned your lesson?” Terra nods Logan stops, and Terra takes a breather. Virgil rubs Terra’s back. “We love you, Terra.”

**"I love you too."** Terra relaxes.

Logan kisses his head. "Get some rest, and we will see you tomorrow."

**“Okay.”** Terra yawns. Logan smiles and takes Virgil's hand. He leads him out of the room, turning the light off and closing the door on his way out.

...

Virgil stares up at the ceiling of his grandpa’s house, pieces of the argument still echoing through his mind.  _ “HE DOESN’T BELONG HERE! HE’S NOT ONE OF US!” _

_ _

_ “Jeremy, please. I have to help him.” _

_ _

_ “NO! GET THEM OUT OF MY HOUSE!” _

_ _

_ “THIS IS OUR HOUSE-“ _

_ _

_ “AND I WANT HIM OUT!” _

He pulls the blanket up to his chin before slowly sitting up and crawling out of bed. He tiptoes past the window, the horses grazing in the fields, sweetgrass reaching his nose and easing him slightly. He makes his way to the bed his dad is sleeping on. The floorboard creaks, and he freezes. His father opens his eyes and looks at him lovingly.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Virgil gives a small nod. His father moves the blanket so Virgil can crawl in next to him. He holds Virgil protectively and kisses his head. “I love you, Virgil.”

“Love you too, dad.” Virgil sighs happily and relaxes. 


	34. Chapter 34

Logan kisses Terra's head one more time. Nemo and the others are packing the ship. "Now you be a good prince and take care of your brother while we are gone."

Terra nods,  **"I will, Papa."**

Logan looks at Emile who is holding George. "Thank you for watching them."

Emile smiles,  **"It's no problem but are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"**

"Yes, I rather have you here protecting the kids."

Emile sighs  **"Ok."** Logan hugs Emile and kisses George's head.

"Love you, George."

**"Love you, Papa."**

Virgil comes over and kisses Terra and George’s heads. “We’ll be back soon.” He smiles.

**"You better."** Terra mocks Virgil smirks and follows Logan onto the ship. Nemo sits down and grips the armrests.

Patton rubs his arm. "Relax." He smiles. Nemo takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before smiling at Patton.

Logan sits down and starts the ship. "Everyone ready?" They all nod Logan starts the ship, and they head out.

...

They arrive on the landing pad, and the guards stand with Nemo. The ramp lowers, but Nemo is frozen, staring down. Virgil takes on hand, and Patton takes the other. He looks at them, and they smile reassuringly. He smiles back as the guards move in front of him, Patton and Virgil beside him, Roman and Logan behind them. They gather their things before Logan shrinks the ship and they get on the submarine. Logan closes his eyes and grips his legs. Roman smirks, "Scared of the ocean?"

"Shut up." Logan takes a deep breath. Virgil “passively” kicks Roman’s leg.

"Hey! It was just a question."

“Enough,” Nemo says.

Roman rolls his eyes but is quickly distracted by the beauty of the underwater city. “Wow...” Nemo smiles softly. They get to the castle and emerge from the pool. Virgil helps Logan off, and the guards help Nemo. He looks around nervously.

"Everyone play it cool. We need to be careful." Logan hands Nemo a button. "If things get dangerous and we're not around press this. It will send a signal to our watches and your location."

Nemo nods. They quickly gather their bags, and Nemo escorts them to their guest room. “I hope you don’t mind sharing one...”

"We will manage," Logan assures.

Patton nods "Sleepover!"

Virgil giggles and looks at Nemo. “Will you join us again?”

Nemo smiles a moment, remembering the first and only sleepover he had with Virgil and Logan. He sighs. “I should inform my father we’re back with visitors.”

"Ok. We follow your lead." Logan puts a hand on his shoulder. "We have your back." Nemo relaxes. They go to the throne room where Akui is talking with the king. Surprise flashes across both their faces for a moment before Akui starts strolling towards Nemo who tenses. The guards go to block Akui, but Nemo stops them, though he doesn’t understand why. The guards look at each other in confusion.

“Prince Nemo. You have returned. With... more guests.” King Evan looks at them. Virgil and Logan bow. Patton and Roman look at them then bow as well.

Nemo nods. “Yes. They will be sharing the guest room down the hall from mine.” 

Akui wraps his arms around Nemo and kisses his cheek. “Oh baby, it’s been too long...” Nemo’s eyes flutter down, and he loses some of the confidence he had. For once Roman is holding Patton back. Patton does his best not to growl, but he's getting bad memories from this guy.

“Yeah.”

“Have you eaten?” King Evan asks. Nemo and everyone nods.

“Come on. You look exhausted.” Akui starts leading Nemo away. Nemo walks with Akui. The guards look at each other at a loss for what to do. Nemo glances at them.

“Stay with the guests.” He orders before disappearing out the door.

Patton frowns he wants to go after him, but Roman pulls him back. Logan clears his throat. "Thank you for having us, your highness. This is Roman Prince and Patton..." Logan realizes he doesn't know Patton's last name.

"Patton Morals your highness."

The king nods. “A pleasure to have you. I bid you goodnight.”

Virgil bows and leads the others out. As soon as they leave the throne room, Virgil looks at the guards. “Can you enter the prince’s room?”

“Only with permission or cases of an emergency.”

"We will be fine, just stand outside of Nemo's door, and if an emergency arises, then you know what to do."

Patton moves in his spot. "Oh, Nemo. I couldn't bear to watch him so scared." Roman rubs his back. The guards nod and take position outside Nemo’s door. The others go back to their room. 

…

It’s late into the night, and there’s still no sign of Nemo. Virgil grows anxious and starts picking at his hoodie. Logan rubs his back. Patton is also nervous. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." Patton gets up and heads out. He sighs and walks over to Nemo's room. The guards are still there, the door closed. He can hear some muffled talking. Patton looks at Guards. "Any idea what they're saying?" They shake their heads, looking worried.

“There were screams earlier,” Dale whispers.

Patton frowns then gets an idea. He turns his watch on and turns into a Stellio. "Stellios have better hearing." He puts his ear to the door.

“You’ll figure it out.” He hears Akui. “I’ll make sure you’re not barren. They’re lying.”

“B-b-ut- t-they- they know- t-they did tests-“

“Their tests are wrong. Come here, baby.” He hears the bed creak. “Oh yeah... I’ve got you. You’re going to have a child. We’re all counting on you.”

“B-but-“

“Ah, ah ah. Baby, we’ve talked about this... I know what I’m doing.”

“Y-Yes-s s-sir...”

“Good boy... I’m gonna put this on now.” There’s silence for a moment besides heavy breathing. Nemo’s noises now sound even more muffled.

Patton backs up. "They're going to have sex. He has muffled, Nemo." Patton frowns.

“He hasn’t called for help. We can’t intervene...” Dale frowns.

Patton clutches his fist. "But I can." He throws the door open.

Nemo’s eyes shot open, eyes full of fear under Akui, but not for himself. A muzzle is strapped over his beak. Akui looks up and growls. “GUARDS!” Different guards come in instead of Dale and Phil. Nemo’s eyes move quickly between Akui and Patton as the guards grab Patton’s arms. “Take him to the dungeon!” Nemo struggles with the muzzle but can’t get it off.

"Nemo! Don't listen to him! You need to be strong." Patton fights against the guards. "Let me go! He's hurting the prince."

The guards drag him out, and Akui lays Nemo back down as the door closes. They take Patton down the halls and into the dungeon. Dale looks at Phil and nods. Phil goes back to the guest room and knocks Roman opens the door. Phil steps in and closes the door. Virgil looks up, getting a bad feeling. “Where’s Patton?”

“He has been taken to the dungeon.”

"WHAT! WHY!?" Roman yells

“He broke into the prince’s room. There is nothing to be done.” Virgil rubs his face and stands up. “Virgil Sanders, please. For the sake of your friend and the sake of the prince, do not make this worse than it has to be. We will wait for the prince to pardon him tomorrow.”

Logan takes his hand. "They're right. All you will do is get yourself in trouble."

"Why would Patton break into Nemo's room?"

“He said they were going to have sex and that Akui muffled the prince.” Phil clenches his fist.

Logan sighs "Oh Nemo."

Roman growls "If he's muzzle then he can't call for help."

Virgil frowns. “What about the button?”

“It may be out of reach...” Phil says.

Nemo squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t want this. He knows he didn’t, even before Patton showed up. He was so slow and gentle at first that he thought... maybe. Just maybe he had simply imagined it. Imagined the pain. Imagined the abuse. Then he snapped, turning like a switch. He holds Nemo roughly, leaving bruises. He nips at his shoulders, drawing blood from his sharp beak. He pounds him fast and hard, Nemo’s weak whimpers doing nothing to slow him. He squeezes his eyes shut. Patton is in danger because of him this will not stand.  He tries to pull his wrists free, but Akui grips them tightly. Nemo struggles and breathes quickly. He gets his feet against Akui’s body and pushes him off, yelping at the angle but taking the opportunity to roll off the bed and under it. His hands find the muzzle and immediately begin to try and undo it. Akui growls. “What are you doing!?” He gets down and reaches for Nemo. He hits Akui in the face with his wing, only for Akui to drag him out by the limb and pin him down. “You are mine!”

Nemo glares at him with a fury he didn’t know he had. He throws him off and stands up, partially ashamed of his lack of clothes, but the other part too angry to care. He finds the latch and throws the muzzle off. “YOU THREW HIM IN THE DUNGEON!”

“He broke in!” Akui reaches for him, but Nemo steps away. Akui growls and backs him into a corner, towering over him. Nemo slowly shrinks, the realization draining his confidence. “You are  _ mine _ .” He pins him to the wall. “ _ My _ mate. And you will listen when I say to do something. Or  _ else _ .“ Nemo’s mind immediately goes to what would happen to Patton, and he surrenders, forgetting he could out rule Akui. Akui grins and drags him back to bed.

...

The next morning, Nemo wakes up early in Akui’s arms. He remembers last night and closes his eyes to hold back tears. He carefully gets up and wraps a blanket around himself, not wanting to stay long enough to get dressed. He just hopes no one sees him like this. He goes out into the hall, no one at the door. He goes down to the guest room, and cracks open the door.  Roman, Virgil, and Logan are asleep.  Dale is awake while Phil rests. He sees Nemo, and his eyes widen. Nemo signals him to be quiet and goes to the shower. He closes the door behind him and sighs. He’s safe. It’s okay he can cry now. But... he can’t. Not until he’s stepped into the shower. Not until the warm water meets his aching skin, not until the reality hits him like it does every morning. Only then does he cry. Only then does he make up his mind. He’s getting Patton out.

...

Patton wakes up the next morning chain to the wall. He didn't sleep well because of his worry for Nemo and because he was chained to the wall. Not exactly the best place to sleep. He sighs ashamed that he couldn't stop him from hurting Nemo. Knowing Nemo couldn't stop him on his own. He knows this game. He just wishes he could stop it. He hears the cell door slides open. Nemo walks in, looking exhausted, eyes red. He goes to Patton and kneels in front of him. "Nemo are you ok? I'm so sorry. I tried but-" Nemo hugs him.

Patton wants to hug him back, but his arms are chained to the wall. So he rests his head on Nemo. Nemo lifts his head and looks at the guards. “Let him go.”

“Sir, we require-“

“BY MY AUTHORITY UNDER KING EVAN OF THE THRONE OF ATLANIUM, UNCHAIN THIS MAN AND LET HIM GO!” Nemo yells, shaking with anger. The guards flinch and unchain Patton. Patton hugs Nemo. Nemo keeps him close. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop him...” he hangs his head in shame.

"It's ok, I get it. I've been there. You can't believe what he tells you."

Nemo holds him tightly. “I- I thought- h-he was going to hurt you.”

"He might, but he will say anything to keep you in line. He will use anything."

Nemo takes deep breaths. “I have you now. He- he can’t hurt you.” He stands with Patton and turns around, Akui standing outside the cell. Patton glares at him.

Akui raises a brow. “What are you doing?”

“Releasing him.” Nemo keeps his gaze down and leads Patton out.

Akui catches Nemo’s arm. “Without me?” He purrs sweetly.

"He doesn't need your permission.  _ He's _ the prince." Patton squeezes Nemo's hand.

Nemo takes a deep breath and nods. “Y-Yeah.” He keeps walking.

Akui follows them. “I’m simply saying, it’d be nice if you told me when you were doing things. You weren’t in bed this morning, and I was sooo worried!”

_ ‘He was worried about me?’  _ Nemo thinks but keeps walking.

"Yeah, you were so worried when you bruised his body. He doesn't have to tell you anything. He can want to what he wants."

“How dare you bring up our private life! I can have you hanged for that-“

“No. You won’t.” Nemo glares at him, staying protectively between him and Patton.

"You have no power. Not without Nemo." Patton glares at him. "As for your private life. I draw the line when you abuse my friend."

Akui glares back. “I’m not abusing him.” Nemo slams the door in his face and brings Patton back to the guest room, taking shallow breaths.

"You ok?" Patton looks worried. Nemo nods and opens the door to the guest room.

Roman hugs Patton, "Oh, thank God, you are ok." Patton hugs him back.

"I'm ok, I promise." Nemo stays out of the way. Logan goes over to Nemo and hugs him. The hug is gentle. Allowing Nemo the option to pull out if he wants to. Nemo relaxes slightly. Virgil hugs him as well. Nemo winces when he brushes a bruise and Virgil loosens his hug. Nemo backs out a bit, and Virgil lets him go.

Logan leads him to the bed and sits him down. "We need a plan. You can't be alone with him." Roman takes Patton the bed and lays him down in his lap and massages his head. Patton hums and closes his eyes.

Nemo closes his. Virgil holds his hand. “You need to tell your dad.”

"I know but... What if he doesn't care? He likes him better than me. What if he doesn't believe me?"

Virgil holds his hand tightly. “If he truly loves you, he will not let this go. We’ll be right beside you, but you have to tell him.” He looks at the guards. “Can you keep Akui busy?” They nod.

"What do I even say?" Nemo feels scared. He was never one to talk to his father. Doing it once was hard enough, but now...

“Tell him you need to speak with him, that it’s important. Then tell him the truth. That Akui has been making you do things that you don’t want to do, but you feel like you can’t stop him.” Virgil rubs his hand.

"He's going to call me weak."  _ 'I am weak.’ _

“No. You’re not weak. You just need help, and you’re willing to ask for it. That is not a weakness, that is a strength. The strength to face your fear of your father and Akui.”

Patton crawls over to Nemo. "That is what they want you to think. They want you to believe that you are weak so they can control you." Patton takes his hand. "Trust me, you are not weak, just lost." He looks at him determine.

Nemo looks up at him, hope flashing through his eyes. “I tried... I tried, and then I was scared...”

"I was scared too. I thought I could do it myself, but I couldn't. His hold was too strong, and I was too scared to fight back when he pushed. That's why you have us. So when he pushes you, we push him back."

"Or beat the shit out of him." Roman smirks Virgil nods in agreement. Nemo takes deep breaths.

"When you're ready." Logan puts a hand on his shoulder. Roman does the same. Everyone around Nemo. Supporting him, protecting him. Then sense that they care, really care about him. This is what love is. This is what a family should be like.

Nemo sighs and relaxes he nods. The guards leave to find Akui the others stand with Nemo.

They all give their own unique, confident smile. They follow Nemo to the throne room where King Evan is doing some paperwork. Or more like he's guiding a servant to do the paperwork as he writes down everything Evan says. Evan looks up as the group ends. Nemo takes a shaky breath, looking deathly pale and holding onto Virgil’s hand like he could fall over at any moment. “F-Father.”

"Son, you seem pale, are you sick?"

Virgil rubs his hand. “Breathe.” He whispers. Nemo takes a deep breath or tries.

“I-I n-need to t-t-alk to you-u.”

"Princes don't stutter Nemo, how many times do I have to tell you?" He waves the servant off. He quickly leaves. Nemo squeezes his eyes shut and shakes violently. He feels sick and close to tears. The water moves swiftly outside the castle.

Patton growls and stands in front of Nemo. "Hey! He has something very important to tell you so you should listen."

Evan glares at Patton. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I am Nemo's friend who seems to care more about him than you do! You’re so blind you can't even see that he's getting abused." Patton crosses his arms not backing down.

Evan blinks. “What!?”

“A-Ak-u-ui.” Nemo grips Virgil who slowly lowers him to the ground.

Evan stands, concern flashing over his face for a moment. “Nemo?”

"Akui has been abusing him. Those bruises you see, those 'clumsy accidents' are actually Akui hurting him. He's possessive, controlling and downgrading Nemo. Does that sound like the perfect son in law and future king?" Logan asks

Evan looks at Logan in disbelief then at Nemo who’s on the ground, hardly able to believe. He feels ashamed, ashamed that he hadn’t noticed, that he couldn’t protect the one person he was supposed to, above all others. He steps down from the throne and kneels in front of Nemo. He gently cups his face and lifts his head. Nemo flinches, instinct expecting a lecture or a slap, not sure who’s hands are on his cheeks until he opens his fear-filled eyes. Evan frowns, deeply troubled. “How long?”

“A-A- f-few- m-mo-onthsss.”

"We had to get him away from him for a while. I hope you didn’t mind. Nemo needed to think things out, and after some time, there is no doubt in any of our minds that this is happening and as a father, it is your responsibility to protect your son." Logan lowers himself to Nemo’s level.

"Last night Akui put a muzzle on him so he couldn't call for help then used his power as Nemo's boyfriend to send me to the dungeon for trying to get Nemo out." Patton sits down.

Evan rubs his thumb over Nemo’s cheek, an attempt to comfort that’s unnatural to both of them. Nemo pulls his head away, and Evan lets him. Nemo hides against Virgil who holds him gently and focuses on getting him to breathe. Evan stands. “Get me Akui.” He’s almost growling.

The guards run out. Patton smiles and holds Nemo's hand. "Sorry that I snap at you, it's just I have been through this, and it pains me to see him go through it too."

"We would have told you earlier but, to be honest. We didn't think you cared." Evan snaps at Logan shocked. "Nemo believes that you liked Akui better than him and thus wouldn't believe him."

Evan looks down at Nemo sadly. “You believed I wouldn’t care if he was hurting you? Nemo... you are my son.” Nemo gasps as a sob wreck him.

"King Evan, if I can be brutally honest with you. You might be a great king, but you are a terrible father. A king can be strict, but a father needs to be kind. You have destroyed your relationship with your son. Controlling the way he lives, refusing to listen to him, and frankly if you know it or not. You downgrade him and are no better than Akui." Evan clenches his fist before looking down at Nemo again. He hangs his head in shame. "It's not too late to change. For Nemo's sake." Logan begs.

Nemo stops breathing, choking back his sobs. Evan kneels to Nemo again and pets his head. “I am sorry, Nemo.” Nemo looks up at him in shock, a pitiful sight. His eyes are red and filled with tears that rain on his cheeks. He can’t control his gasps or sobs, only staring at his father who he never thought would say those words, especially to him. The guards escort Akui in, and Evan’s eyes immediately snap up to him, full of fury. Everyone circles Nemo protectively glaring at Akui.

Akui looks nervously at them. “What’s going on?”

Evan stands. “Akui, you are being imprisoned for harming a member of the royal family!” His voice booms and Akui flinches.

“What do you mean-“

“YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN! YOU HAVE BEEN ABUSING MY SON, AND IT WILL GO ON NO LONGER! GUARDS! TAKE HIM AWAY!” Dale and Phil gladly grip Akui's arms tightly.

Akui looks at the guards then at Nemo. "Baby come on, we can work this out. Baby I love-" he gets interrupted by Patton punching him in the face.

"Don't you fucking lie to him! You piece of shit, if you really cared you wouldn't have abused him." The guards take him away the doors slamming shut. Roman and Virgil look at each other surprised at Patton's actions Patton shakes his hand. “Owey that hurt. Roman kiss it better.” Patton goes over to Roman. Roman holds him and kisses his hand. 

Evan takes a deep breath then kneels and hugs Nemo again. “He’s never hurting you again.” Nemo holds onto him for dear life and sobs Logan rubs Nemo's back.


	35. Chapter 35

Everyone stayed on Atlanium for two more days. Evan had requested the others keep Nemo company at all times to ensure his safety. Akui was executed the next day. Nemo wasn’t too thrilled at him being killed, but the others assured him that now he can never hurt anyone again. They soon were heading back to Stellio as Virgil and Logan continued to plan their big day. "Thank you all so much."

Logan chuckles "You don't have to keep thanking us, Nemo, really it's ok. I'm just glad that you're safe." Nemo smiles sheepishly.

Evan shakes hands with Logan. "Thank you for knocking some sense into me. I didn't know how much I was hurting my son."

Logan nods "The important part now is to fix it."

"You are all welcome back here at any time. If you need help at all, let us know. It's the least I can do."

“Thank you.” Virgil smiles.

Patton hugs Nemo. "Just wait your prince charming will find you one day." Nemo smiles and hugs him back.

Patton lets go and moves over to Roman. Roman wraps an arm around Patton. "You can't have my fiancé." Roman winks.

Nemo chuckles and raises his hands in surrender. “No, you two are perfect for each other.”

Patton giggles. Logan clears his throat. "We will be off now. I look forward to seeing you both at our wedding."

"Of course. Safe travels." Evan waves them goodbye." Virgil gives Nemo one last hug before joining the others onboard. Patton waves at Nemo and Evan as they fly off.

...

After months of planning and organizing the day finally came for Logan and Virgil. They were finally getting married. Virgil paces the dressing room while Patton and Roman try to keep him calm. “What if something goes wrong. What if I accidentally say no. What if there’s a fire. What if-“

"Virgil" Patton grabs his shoulders. "Everything is going to be perfect."

"I still can't believe your getting married before me!"

Virgil takes a deep breath, ignoring Roman. “Yeah. Yeah, it’ll be fine.” He looks at his shaking hand and clenches his fist.

Patton rubs his hand. "You got this. We couldn't be prouder of you."

Virgil smiles a bit. “Thanks Pat.”

"Your welcome."

"Patton, you have the ring?"

Patton pulls the box out. "Yes, Roman, I have the ring."

Virgil continues taking deep breaths. “I can do this. I can do this.” He blinks. “How many people are there again?”

Patton counts on his fingers. "It's Me, Roman, Terra, George, Emile, Remy, Ava, Elena, Nemo, King Even, Dale, Phil, Terrance, a few more members from Logan's side of the family. So at least 13 no more than 25."

Virgil exhales slowly. “Okay. I can do this.”

...

"I can't do this." Logan paces "What was I thinking!?"

Ava moves in front of him and holds his shoulders. “Yes, you can. Just breathe.” She smiles. “Think of Virgil. I’m sure he looks just as charming in his suit as you right now. Just think of meeting him out there, of spending the rest of your lives together.”

Logan takes a deep breath. "I'm just scared."

“I know.” Ava kisses his head. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be perfect.”

She fixes his tie.

"Thanks, Mom." Logan smiles

“Of course, honey.”

There’s a knock on the door before Nemo pokes his head in. “It’s time.”

Logan takes a deep breath. "I'm ready." Nemo leaves, and Ava walks with Logan outside. Logan and Ava walk down the aisle Virgil at the end Patton next to him as his right-hand man. A Stellio of Leadership as there "Pastor" as Roman tells him. Logan gets to the end of the walk away and takes Virgil's hand Virgil smiles at him, and Logan can tell he’s just as nervous.

Logan squeezes his hand, and they look at the pastor. "We are gathered here today to watch these two men join together in life. To take their first steps to spend the rest of their lives together. To love and protect. Aquarius do you take Virgil to be your loving husband to protect until death dues you part?"

"I do."

"Virgil, do you take Aquarius as your loving husband to protect until death dues you part?"

“I do.” Virgil blinks away his tears, resisting the urge to wipe at his eyes as to not smudge the purple eyeshadow Roman worked so hard on. Patton hands Virgil's the rings. Virgil takes a silver band and Logan’s hand, gently sliding it to join with the engagement ring.

Logan takes the band and adds it to Virgil's purple and blue engagement ring. Logan interwinds their fingers. "You may now kiss." Virgil practically throws himself at Logan, holding him tightly but kissing him gently. The guest stands and cheer.

Logan is push back a little, but he stays standing as he kisses Virgil back. Patton is crying in the background. "I always cry at weddings."

Roman holds Patton and chuckles, holding back his own teary eyes. “Looks like our little storm cloud is all grown up.”

"And he said he was going to die alone." Patton giggles Terra giggles happily and dances around. Ava and Elena beam, Elena is holding George. George yawns and snuggles Elena.

...

Everyone is in the dining room, and Patton gets their attention. "Can I have everyone's attention." Everyone looks over to Patton. Patton clears his throat. "I have known Virgil since we were kids. He was anxious and shy; he always played by the rules so he wouldn't get noticed. To strangers, he would have seemed cold-hearted. That doesn't sound like the Virgil you all know." Patton smiles at Logan and Virgil. "That is because after meeting Logan, he’s changed. He became what I always thought he could be deep down. Strong, confident, overprotective." Some people chuckle at that. "Virgil changed for the better and did things I never thought he would do, but he did it, and I couldn't be prouder." Virgil smiles sheepishly. Applause spreads through the hall. Logan kisses Virgil's head as Patton sits down.

"It is time for the Mother and son dance." Ava takes Logan Virgil smirks and chuckles, sitting back. Ava takes Logan's hand, and they go to the dance floor. Virgil smirks and chuckles, sitting back. Elena comes over and offers him her hand.

Virgil blinks before taking it and standing. “I should warn you I have two left feet...”

Elena chuckles, "So does Ava." she winks and drags him out. Virgil giggles and takes up position, falling into time with the music. He occasionally gets glances of Logan and Ava dancing. Logan and Ava are giggling at each other. Elena smiles at them. "I am so happy for you two."

Virgil smiles at her. “Thank you. For trusting him to me.”

"Oh please, I knew you were a keeper the second I saw you." Virgil blushes. Elena giggles. "Just keep each other safe and happy."

“We will. I promise.”

"And if you ever need anything you can call us."

“Thank you.”

"Your welcome." Elena kisses his head. The song ends Elena and Ava switch partners putting Logan and Virgil together.

"Hello, Virgil.”

Virgil smirks. “Good evening, Logan.”

"So it finally happened. Any regrets?"

“Nope.” Virgil kisses him as they dance.

"Me either." Virgil smiles, resting his head on Logan’s shoulder and closing his eyes contently, listening to his heartbeat. The song ends, and they bow to each other and go back to their seats, the dance floor now open for everyone. Roman leans on Virgil’s chair, smirking.

“Soooo... What’s the honeymoon plan?”

Virgil rolls his eyes. “You don’t need to know.”

Patton drags Roman away. "Let's dance!" he winks at Virgil.

Virgil smiles gratefully. Terrance comes up. “Hey, I gotta run, but I wanted to tell you guys congrats. I’m really happy for you.”

"Thank you." Logan smiles

“Thanks, Terrance.” Virgil smiles. Terrance smiles back and nods before heading out.

Nemo comes up, bouncing on his feet. “When are you guys opening the gifts!?”

“Probably tomorrow. It’ll be late by the time we get home tonight... why?” Virgil smirks.

Nemo smiles sheepishly. “No reason. Bye!” He races off and Virgil giggles.

“Remember when we first met him, and you said you hoped I hadn’t adopted another kid?”

"Yes." 

Virgil smiles, watching his friends having fun. “He may not be a kid, but I think we’ve adopted him too.”

Logan thinks..."Oh, my your right." Logan groans "You want to just run an orphanage?" Logan says in a joking tone. Virgil looks up at Logan. He sees a flash of hope in Virgil’s eyes with a momentary far of gaze as if remembering something emotional. "Virgil?"

Virgil blinks. “Yeah?”

"Do you want to run an orphanage?" Logan asks in a more serious, curious tone.

Virgil looks back out to the others, watching Terra dance with Nemo. “I don’t know...” he pauses for a moment. “I... I want to give others what I couldn’t have... but at the same time I don’t want our kids to feel left behind.”

Logan holds his hand. "Let's not think about this now. It's our big day." Logan kisses his cheek.

Virgil sighs and leans on him with a smile. “Okay, Star.”

Logan nuzzles him. "I love you."

“I love you too,” Virgil smirks and quickly kisses his ear.

Logan blushes "Not in public Virgil."

“I know.” Virgil giggles and boops his nose.

"Music to my ears." Logan kisses Virgil. Virgil hums and kisses him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think of this series. There is one more book, but it's not finished, and I don't know when it will be. I'll post what I have, but after that, I might move on to another project in the meantime. 
> 
> School starts up for me on August 22, so posts will most likely slow down after that. My goal over the summer was to finished posting the "FamILY RP" which I did so I can be proud of that. 
> 
> I don't know what is going to happen while I'm in school. Heck, I don't even know if I'll keep writing. I guess I'll just go ahead and be honest. This is also written by Space_Angel1. We have been writing together for the past 11 months making the "FamILY RP" and "Starfall." But, not to give away too much of Space's personal life, I have lost contact with her after her parents took away her phone. 
> 
> I started writing with Space because she needed a distraction from some personal stuff that was going on in her life, but over the months we grew a friendship, and I realized I needed her just as much as she needed me as I was going through my personal stuff. Our writings became our venting and support system that kept us going. 
> 
> Now that I can't talk to her anymore, for an unknown timeframe, I've lost my motivation to write, and now that she can't talk to me, I am so scared for her. I want nothing more than to know that she is ok, but I can't reach her, and it frustrates me to no end. I just wish there was some way to tell her that I'm still here for her, that she isn't alone. To tell her that everything is going to be ok. 
> 
> Sorry for the rant I'm just frustrated, and I needed to get that off my chest. Thank you again for reading. I hope you have a great day and happy reading!


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